A Glass Knife
by RocketRaccoon4ever
Summary: "I was meant to carve the weak from the herd. To slash armies down to piles of flesh and blood. I was meant to be the strongest knife in the set. I was meant to be a Silver, but I was born a Red. If I am still a knife; it is one made of glass." Evangeline must help the Scarlet Guard's rebellion while Elara turns Oliverara into a monster.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Rift House; 11 years ago._

Evangeline ran through the halls of Rift House laughing. Ptolemus's voice followed her around the sharp corners and behind the draped curtains. "Evie, I'm gonna find you!" His armor clinked loudly, too big on his small body but he wore it anyway. It made their father happy, and when Father was happy things were okay in their house.

Evangeline rounded the bend in the hallway and slid behind a statue. She giggled as she tried to pull her silver dress tighter around her legs. Ptolemus's long shadow appeared on the wall. "Evie are you down here?" He jokingly called as he stuck his head down a laundry shoot. The little girl clamped her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing at her silly older brother. Another shadow filled the hall with them.

"What are you two doing?" Larentia Viper and her growling panther came upon them. "Ptolemus you're supposed to be in training. And where is Evangeline? She has an etiquette lesson soon."

"We're just playing a game!" Ptolemus whined as his mother's harsh grip encircled his arm.

"Games are for children," she hissed. Evangeline shrunk deeper under the statue as the panther started sniffing down the hall. She didn't want to go to etiquette! She hated sitting up straight and memorizing houses and curtsying until she fell over.

Before the panther got to her though, the wall next to her opened and out trotted one of the servants. Evangeline slipped through the closing wall and down onto a dimly lit stairwell leading under Rift House. She'd never been down here before! A slight chill came over her skin and she bundled the poofy dress around her. This would be a perfect place to hide from Tolly during their games! She smiled to herself and bounded down the stairs.

As she reached the bottom the chill got worse to the point that her little arms trembled. How could anyone stand to be down this far? The dirt floor came into view and Evangeline stepped into what looked like living quarters. Beds with thin blankets lined the room and a rickety stove sat along the far wall. Wooden beams held up the ceiling and small bugs crawled through holes. Drafts blew past her with whistling shrieks and a large deep well in the corner was filled with slightly muddied water. Evangeline shrunk back from the scene. She didn't like it down here! She wanted Tolly.

Evie turned to dash back up the stairs when a cough startled her. She cried out and fell to the dirty ground. A few feet behind her was a different door. It wasn't made of wood like everything else, but metal. Evangeline felt better now; she knew metal! She approached the door and knocked on it.

"Who's there?" A voice came from behind it. It was raspy and small, like a child's. It was also female.

"Hi I'm Evangeline!" She pulled on the door handle. It didn't budge. "Are you stuck in there?"

The voice said nothing. Scraping metal sounded as a shadow came under the door. "I don't know." The voice was closer now.

"I can get you out!" Evangeline proclaimed proudly. "I can warp metal, and your door is made of metal."

"No one can get me out," the voice whispered. "I'm not allowed to leave."

Evangeline cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"She'll be mad," the voice got quieter. "It hurts when she gets mad."

"Don't worry, my brother and I can help you! His name is Ptolemus but I call him Tolly. He's strong and really nice!" Evangeline pulled on the handle again but the door didn't move. "What's your name?"

"I don't know."

"How do you not know your own name?"

"She calls me a name, but I don't like it. It's not nice."

Evangeline started pulling a wooden step stool over next to the door. "Well what does she call you? And who is she?"

"She's my mother I think," the voice sounded confused. Evangeline pressed the stool against the door and got up on it. "and she calls me Rat."

Evangeline looked through the window in the middle of the door. Inside was an all dirt room with glowing stones in the corners. A small bed was along the wall and a bucket was in the one corner. A small girl with silver hair like hers sat against the door. The same glow of the stones came off the shackles around her wrists, the collar around her neck, and the chains attaching her to the wall. She wore brown rags and had marks covering her thin body. Scratches decorated her legs and chest, bite marks varied on her arms, cuts and bruises ranged along her back and whip marks were on her thighs. She shook from the cold, and as her head turned to look up at the window Evangeline saw her face.

She screamed.

"What is that!" She cried as she fell off the stool. The girl inside the room began to cry. "What is that, what is that!" Evangeline backed up but the image was burned in her mind. The gray eye, the white film, the red outlines, the scarred skin, the yellow flesh with blue bruises filling in the indents where bones should've been. Instead the whole side of the face was covered in twisting scars that cut up her lips and showed the hollow bones underneath. She looked like a monster right out of one of Evangeline's nightmares.

Her screams brought her mother running down the stairs with her panther alongside her. "Evangeline Samos what are you doing down here!" Her mother gasped as she pulled the crying girl off the floor.

"What is that," Evangeline whimpered as she pointed at the door. Soft crying came from behind it and the scraping of chains as the creature moved away from them.

"That is none of your concern Evangeline," Larentia hissed. "The Reds live down here, and the Rat belongs to them. You are not to come down here ever again. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mother."

"Good. I don't want you being around the different ones in our house. It is not healthy for the future Queen of Norta."

"But," Evangeline looked over her mother's shoulder as the panther pushed open the door and slipped inside the creatures room. "I don't understand. Why is it different? Why does it look like that?"

Larentia stroked her daughter's hair. "It has different blood then us. That means it is different. Say that Evangeline; it is Red so it is different."

"It is Red so it is different," Evangeline repeated slowly.

"Good girl," her mother praised. The wall opened and the two stepped back into Rift House. Evangeline turned away from the stairs and the opening. She never wanted to go back down there. As she closed her eyes she almost heard a small scream rising up the stairs, but her mother put her hand over her ears and the sound faded with the close of the door.


	2. Agony

**Agony**

_Present Day; Whitefire Palace_

Volo Samos glared daggers at the coffin. It sat heavy as a stone in the middle of the room. Silver ribbons and medals were draped over it in the traditional sign of respect. He didn't know why they bothered with it; there was no body. The rebel rats had not only stolen his daughter from him, but had stolen her body from the burial she deserved. They would parade it around on one of their televised announcements. Her body, her honor, her glory, defaced in front of the whole nation. His stomach curled at the thought. Oliverara may have been a Red but she was the best magnetron to ever live, and she was the child he wished more than anything he had had more time with.

The coffin was laughing at him. At his fear. He wanted to do something, feel something, for his lost child, but he couldn't. He had held it together for so long in front of his wife that now the emotions refused to emerge. His hand reached to touch the box, but he pulled back. It wasn't real enough. Not yet. He didn't know if it ever would be.

The door creaked open behind him. Volo startled at the harsh noise in the otherwise silent room. A person with blond hair and a silver uniform stepped into his view. "Colonel Macanthos," he greeted the soldier, "I wish we did not have to reunite under these circumstances." The woman nodded but didn't fully enter the room. Her eyes were red with tears. Like she had been crying for hours or perhaps even days.

"I too," she sniffed and wiped her eye, "wish we were meeting again on different," her voice went quiet and her gaze fell on the coffin. Volo followed her stare.

"I understand that you two were close on and off the battlefield." Volo approached Macanthos and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Your pain over her death is felt equally in me."

Colonel Macanthos nodded. "We were, close. She was closer to me than to her siblings in some cases."

"Understandable."

The two stood in silence for a few more minutes. The weight of Oliverara's death weighed on them more than either wanted to show. "I have to attend to my wife and other children," Volo pushed the door open and stepped out, "I'll leave you to pay your respects in private." As soon as his feet hit the hall the door was closed tightly. Volo sighed and watched the door for a second longer before leaving, his final goodbye to his daughter left on the tip of his tongue.

* * *

Ellyn stood facing the coffin. In her hand was a bouquet of flowers she had swiped from the garden. Seeing Volo Samos had rattled her, but not enough to leave. Her lover was dead and her only option was to grieve in solitude. She laid the flowers on the top of the black box next to the medals Oliverara had earned. The colors of the petals stood out sharply against the black and silver of the memorial.

"Oh Oli why," Ellyn sobbed and dropped to her knees next to the coffin. She had been crying for hours since Maven had broken the news to the council, but seeing the coffin renewed the sobbing from earlier. She could feel the weight of a whole army on her chest; the pain was worse than any amount of poison air from the Choke. "Why did it have to be you? Why?" She wiped away her tears but her face was a river for her grief. "I'm so sorry I gave you such a hard time with your drinking. I'm sorry I didn't spend the time with you that I should have. I'm sor-" her head fell against the box as she choked on the salty tears. "I'm so sorry," Ellyn whispered.

"She understands."

A voice behind her made Ellyn's skin turn hard as she spun around. Evangeline stood behind her in the shadows. Her silver dress glowed in the light of the room and her silver hair flowed angelically over her shoulders. She looked perfect as always. The complete opposite of Oliverara who could only keep her head since it was attached to her shoulders.

"Lady Samos," Ellyn stood and bowed to her but Evangeline shook her hand.

"Don't, this is no place for titles and formal approaches."

Ellyn placed her hand back on the coffin. "Are they sure she's dead? There's no way she could still be alive?"

Evangeline came up next to her. "Maven believes that she is dead, so that is what we go by. He is the king now."

Ellyn stroked the coffin. "I miss her. I miss her already how pathetic is that?"

Evangeline's hand wrapped around Ellyn's arm. "She's going to be missed by all of us for quite a long time." Ellyn nodded as more tears fell down her face. As she sobbed arms wrapped around her and pulled her in. A silk dress soaked up her tears as Evangeline hugged her. "It's okay. Everything will work out at the end. Trust me Ellyn."

The two girls broke apart and Evangeline gave her own solemn look at the coffin before leaving. Ellyn stood there in the now empty room watching the Silver princess leave. Something was off. Evangeline Samos was not affectionate with anyone outside of her family, Evangeline Samos was not on a first name basis with anyone except her siblings and Elane, Evangeline Samos did not watch from the background, and Evangeline Samos did not have a tight hug like that. Oliverara had always said that Evangeline hugged like a princess; the less touch the better; but now there she had been, holding Ellyn to her like a mother holds a child. Ellyn shook her head. Oliverara's hug had been different than that, right? There was no way that was the same type of hug. Impossible. Oliverara was dead.

Ellyn stood alone in the darkening room not knowing whether the thoughts swirling in her head were real or just her imagination.


	3. Lines Of Red

**Lines Of Red**

The train rumbled along the track; silence fillng it. Shade Barrow's declaration rang in the ears of his sister, Cal, the blonde woman, and every Red there. Evangeline gripped her hands to stop their shaking. They had come for Oliverara. Not for her.

"What do you mean she's the wrong one?" The one Red scarf spoke.

"I mean just that!" Shade snapped at him. "I told you to grab the one with the scar and the short hair. This is not the one we wanted! This is Evangeline!" For once those words left a sting in Evangeline. Of course they wanted Oliverara. Of course they needed a Red to pin their rebellion on. Her sister would never do it. She was too much of a Silver. Shade took a key and unlocked the small silent stone chain at her wrists. He offered it to the woman but she pushed it away. She was right. Cal could snap it easily; silent stone or not. It was pointless.

Mare moved towards her brother, her gaze enough to kill. "Why did you want a Samos? They tried to kill us in the Bowl of Bones! They work for Maven and his mother!"

Shade gripped Mare's shoulders and bent to look in her eyes. "Oliverara works for no one. And she's worth more to the guard than you think." Mare gave no response but a curt huff.

"Where are we going?" Evangeline finally spoke. The eyes that fell on her were cold. She was not who they wanted. She was not worth anything to them. _They'll come back for you, _she thought. _Maven won't let them escape with his new betrothed. _The word made her cringe, but she fought through it. Her plans remained. Become Queen, please her parents, be with Elane. The Scarlet Guard was just a bump in her otherwise flawless plan.

"Maven knows about the city," Mare spoke to the blonde woman. "He'll come after us."

"We are aware." The mocking tone of her voice made Evangeline smile.

"It would be best to run." Cal's graveled voice was so much smaller than Evangeline remembered it being. Wrapped in chains and surrounded by Reds he was no better off than he had been in the cells beneath Whitefire. He wasn't a king anymore. He'd never be a king again. "They'll have snapdragons," he continued.

"Plants?" A boy covered in bandages and donning a gun half his size scoffed.

Evangeline chuckled. "Snapdragons are aircraft boy." The bandaged kid gripped his gun tighter but made no move on her. "They carry missiles on them and have amazing accuracy. One pilot flyers and expertly made by yours truly."

"So the princess builds planes. That's a story you don't read." Laughter ensued the boy's remark.

Evangeline stared down the pole behind him, her anger warping through the air towards it. The lining cracked as she bent it down into a loop. The screech made heads turn to the mangled mess. "Don't insult me," she spat.

In seconds three guns were in her face. The boy's, the woman's, and one of the Reds who had dragged her in. Much to her dismay, Evangeline flinched.

"Is she worth keeping?" The woman spoke to Shade. He stared at Evangeline, his face crinkled in thought. _What is he taking so much time for? _Evangeline's brain panicked. _Of course I'm worth keeping! _

"Yes," Shade finally answered. "She can be a bargaining chip. They'll want their future queen back." Evangeline felt her heart drop. That's what she had been reduced to; something to bargain with.

"I think you're forgetting my skills. Ones that none of you have," she hissed.

"Nothing compared to Oliverara's," Shade retorted. Evangeline bit her tongue but said nothing. Her power sizzled with displeasure, but she restrained herself if only to avoid another gun in her face.

The train stopped and the ragtag team of Reds left. Mare, Shade, and Bandage Boy walked in a group while Cal was dragged along behind the woman. Evangeline's arm was taken by Shade and pushed in front of them. "Keep walking," he growled. Any kindness he had towards her was gone. She meant nothing to him on this battlefield.

The ruined city loomed around them. Buildings with blown out windows and skeletons for walls staggered above them. The streets were dusty and hard with alleyways hiding all around them. The sun beat down with a vengeance against the marching Reds. Evangeline had to admit, they did look like an army, covered in their Red scarves and holding their weapons proudly. They would be no match for the thousands of Silver soldiers that were no doubt on their way. Or already here. Now Evangeline surveyed the area like a soldier would. She watched the shadows. Was that a person up in that building or a trick of the light? Were those marks in the dirt from footsteps minutes ahead of them or from the man in front of her?

Then she heard something she knew for sure was not them: the mechanical screech of the snapdragons. They were coming.

The planes descended on them with ease. Their engines crying out for blood as a silver missile released. The building ahead of them crumbled with a burst of red orange flame. The debris flew through the air as the once clear path lay obstructed._ Awe shit, _Evangeline sighed.

"Scatter!" The woman ordered. Reds ran like the rats they were all across the alleys and down into gutters. Snapdragons screamed above as more missiles dropped on the marchers. Shade started running with Mare at his side. Bandage Boy and Evangeline rushed to keep up as they took off into the overgrown brush. The missiles grew more far off as the snapdragons circled the city.

"We're so screwed," Evangeline hissed to Bandage Boy.

"Shut up."

"Both of you be quiet and keep moving," Shade ordered. Man, he had gotten bossier since Evangeline had last saw him.

The group continued running through the thicket with Bandage Boy and Evangeline taking the lead quickly. As they approached the exit, Shade and Mare appeared beyond them. _Cheater, _Evangeline smirked. Mare's confused look surprised her though. Did the little lightning girl not understand her brother's power?

Back out in the open the group dodged through debris and falling buildings. The snapdragons were back and their missiles were aimed with extreme precision. As they ran Evangeline could see off in the distance. "Guys," she called. "That's not just a Silver army." Shade turned to her and Mare ran up to see what Evangeline was talking about.

"That bastard," Mare breathed. Marching towards them was not just thousands of Silvers, but thousands of Silvers shielded by chained Reds. Reds decorated head to toe in that exact color. The iron chains snagged the ground and dragged on the bodies of the prisoners. Bandage Boy raised his gun. _Fool, _Evangeline thought. _You will never strike a Silver through that barrier. _

"Kilorn don't," Mare spoke. "It's useless."

He stood there for a few seconds more before lowering his gun and following them down the road. They ran more, coming to a stop at the largest building Evangeline had ever seen. It towered over them like a king towers over his subjects. Just as they had paused in awe of it, the building slowly began to fall as a missile struck its base. Evangeline threw out her hand and caught the debris as bullets rained down on them from the approaching army. The metal objects dropped uselessly at their backsides.

"We need to keep moving to the river," Shade declared. Evangeline dropped the building behind them. She could hear the cracking of metal as it was lifted again.

"They brought their own magnetrons," she growled.

Shade stopped suddenly. "This could be our chance to get Oliverara," he panted.

"What do you care so much about this girl for?" Mare grabbed his arm and kept pulling him back away from the army. Debris was flying at them now as magnetrons pulled metal spires to their own will.

"We just need her," Shade responded. "Like we need you."

"I'll see if she's in the front line," Evangeline sighed. She ran across to one of the still standing structures. As her hands wrapped around the metal rods she heard heavy breathing right behind her. Mare was at her back. "What are you gonna do Barrow? Electrocute me?"

"I should."

Evangeline shook her head and pushed the metal up, bringing her body up against the wall of the building. Her eyes scanned the marching army. Magnetrons pressed forward in front of the Red line; clearing the way for the marchers. She could see Tolly leading the charge with their cousins at his heels, but her sister was not in front. Her eyes went over all the colors of the army looking for the black and silver of her house. She found none. Oliverara was not there.

Evangeline lowered herself back down as her blood ran like ice through her. Mare was waiting impatiently at the bottom, choking on dust. "Well?" She barked. Evangeline shook her head. This wasn't right.. Her sister never strayed from the battlefield. She never hesitated to step into the line of fire. She should be out there. Something was wrong.

The two rushed back to Shade and Banda- ahem, _Kilorn_. "She's not here," Mare said. Shade looked as surprised and concerned as Evangeline felt.

"We need to keep moving then," he said. Bullets started raining down on them from above. Evangeline deflected while Shade pulled Mare and Kilorn under him. There were so many; Evangeline's senses could only handle so much. Her head spun as she pulled metal after metal from the sky. A bullet ended up grazing her wrist and she heard one hit Shade's leg, but the others entered windows and walls.

He groaned at the pain but they kept moving. Silver blood dripped from Evangeline's arm as Red blood poured from Shade's leg. He wasn't going to make it much farther. "Take him," Mare said to Kilorn and Evangeline. "I'll handle them."

"I'm staying right here," Evangeline growled.

"No you're not." Mare pushed her back before turning and approaching the now halting army. Evangeline sighed at the stubborn ass Mare was before taking Shade's other arm and helping Kilorn drag him down the road. The river was in sight, and so were two other people. The woman and Cal came upon them quickly. Cal's iron chains had been melted away and his fire raged at his fingers.

"What happened?" The woman asked Shade.

"Got shot," he cringed. She nodded and pointed to the edge of the cliff. Kilorn began maneuvering him there.

"Mare's back there with the army," Evangeline said, her words directed at Cal. His eyes burned at her words.

"Go," the woman ordered. Cal and his flames rushed off back up the road. "Is your sister there?" She asked. Evangeline shook her head no. The woman sighed.

"What do you want with my sister so bad?"

The woman didn't respond. Evangeline turned and darted after Shade and Kilorn who had reached the edge of the cliff. "What are you do-" Evangeline's words vanished from shock as the two boys leapt over the cliff's edge. She stopped short to see a metallic object floating down in the water. Their bodies crawled into it as she sighed. A glance back at the city showed nothing but ruins, dirt, fire, and electricity. Mare and Cal were coming.

"This won't be the weirdest thing I've ever done," Evangeline whispered to herself. Then with as much grace as she could muster she threw herself off the cliff and onto the object below. The metal clang made her landing sound worse than it felt. She winced at the pain in her side as she slipped her body into the hole. Kilorn and Shade were waiting. "That hurt," she groaned.

"Good." Kilorn turned from her and handed Shade off to other Reds. Evangeline staggered to her feet as she laid her hands on the wall. Metal. Everything was made of metal? Whatever these Reds had, it was sturdy. As she followed Kilorn another body hit the floor. The woman stood up and brushed the dust off of herself. Evangeline had to commend her obvious knowledge of how to do that properly. Right after the woman, came the tumbling of Mare and Cal into the hole. An airtight seal slid in place and soon the whole thing began to _move_. Evangeline grabbed the wall in shock. This wasn't a bunker or a tunnel or anything like that. It was a _boat_.

* * *

After Mare had been put in her own room and Cal secured elsewhere, Kilorn and Evangeline made their way to the infirmary to check on Shade. The woman was bandaging his leg with two other women in white when they entered. "Hey Shade," Evangeline greeted. "How's your leg?"

"I can keep it," he joked.

"Why are you here Silver?" Kilorn glared at her. "You aren't of any use to us."

"If I wasn't I'd be dead right now," Evangeline remarked.

Kilorn turned to the woman. "You can't really be thinking of keeping two Silvers around?"

"Yes I can."

Kilorn's mouth gaped and he turned away shaking his head.

"You understand nothing Kilorn," Shade said. "Farley got word from Command a few minutes ago. We need to keep Evangeline alive and safe."

"Why does Command care about her?" Kilorn jabbed an accusing finger at Evangeline. "You said it yourself that her sister is who we want!"

The woman, or Farley, shushed Kilorn. "Things are in motion with the Silvers and we can use them to our advantage. We don't need Oliverara to use her. We just need to make them think we have her."

Now Evangeline was confused. "What do you mean? How will Maven and the court think _you_ have Oliverara?"

Shade smiled. "Oh ye of little faith Evie. You always underestimated the stupidity of Silvers." He chuckled at her glare. "Maven announced to the whole kingdom not long ago that Oliverara Samos is dead."

The room began to spin. Evangeline grabbed the nearest thing to hold herself up. Her sister was dead?! No, that wasn't true! Oliverara would never die without a fight! "No that can't be true!" She screamed at Shade. Kilorn pushed her hand off his shoulder and she collapsed to the floor. Evangeline closed her eyes as a river of tears threatened to pour out of her.

"Trust me Samos, it's not true," the voice next to her said quietly.

"She wasn't at the battle," Evangeline whispered. "I knew something was wrong. I-I knew..." her voice trailed off. A hand pushed her head up to look Farley in the face.

"Listen to me," she whispered. "Oliverara cannot be dead. Because Command told me when Maven made his announcement standing next to him was his betrothed; Evangeline Samos." The silence in the room sucked the anguish from Evangeline.

"We're identical twins," she said. "If he put her in enough makeup and a wig she'd look just like me." Her heart skipped a beat. So Oliverara was playing her now.

Shade smiled at her. "Your king has given us the perfect set up. He told the whole nation the Scarlet Guard killed Oliverara. So all we need is someone who can feasibly play Oliverara and our original plan will be set back in place. And Maven can never challenge us without admitting he lied." All three heads turned to Evangeline.

"You are identical twins," Kilorn said quietly.

Evangeline shook her head. "I can't play Oliverara! No way!"

Farley crossed her arms with a knowing smirk. "You don't have a choice Samos."


	4. Identity Of Lies

**Identity Of Lies**

Getting shaved hurt. Like a lot.

It wasn't like Kilorn was trying to cut her scalp, but he certainly wasn't trying _not_ to. Shade was too weak to do it so he gave directions to the knife wielding boy from his bed. Evangeline was staring at the side of a wash bowl as her silver locks fell into a dirty pile on the bottom. His grip felt strong enough to snap her neck, and the callouses on his fingers burned into her unmarked skin. Well, unmarked for now. After her hair would come the scar.

"Ow! Can't you be any gentler?"

"Couldn't your people not have enslaved mine? The world may never know!" Kilorn snarked back.

"Fine be that way," Evangeline muttered.

"And just a little more off the left side," Shade noted. Kilorn brought the knife in for one final slice as the last of Evangeline's hair fell away. He yanked her upright by her neck to look in the mirror. The long silver hair she had tediously cared for her whole life was gone. Stuck on the bottom of a dirty Red sink. Now her beautiful face was topped by a buzzcut so thin she could see her scalp in places. The Silver blood leaking down her neck was obvious too.

"So now what," she asked while already knowing the answer.

"Now for the scar," Shade declared happily. He took note of Evangeline's unpleased demeanor and chuckled. "What's the sad face for?"

"What's the happy face for?" She retorted.

He grinned. "I'm not the one getting a nasty scar on my face."

Farley pushed Kilorn out of the way to sit Evangeline on the end of Shade's bed. "Now hold still so this looks good," Farley hissed. Her outfit was still covered in blood and Evangeline cringed as she came closer.

"You have makeup on here?" She asked.

"Nope," Farley responded as she opened a rusty container. "I'm gonna cut your face up with this baby." Out of the box came a long and twisting carving knife.

Evangeline took the knife in her power and sent it flying down the isle and into the far wall hilt deep. Her heartbeat sent pains through her chest.

Farley held up her hands in a surrender position. "I was joking princess. And I liked that knife so get it back." Evangeline glanced at Shade, the only Red on this ship she trusted. He nodded for her to follow Farley's order. The knife promptly came back to settle in Farley's box. Not without leaving a dent in the side.

"Thanks," Farley grumbled. Then she took out a thin sewing needle. The tip was extra pointed and shiny. Instead of setting it to the side Farley reached for Evangeline's face.

"Woah!" She flinched back. "You said you weren't gonna cut me up!"

"I'm not." Farley grabbed her chin and pulled her forward. The needle slowly began drawing lines down Evangeline's face and around her eye. Shade continued his previous role of giving directions.

"Another line to the left. Add more depth to the ones under the eye. Don't bother making them straight, it's not like Oliverara is. Now curve them down her cheek. Good and put some on her lips too."

"Is this some kind of drawing tool?" Evangeline asked. Farley slapped her on the other side of her face.

"Don't speak." Evangeline bit her tongue as her cheek burned.

"It's not drawing on you." Shade answered. "It's marking lines where we'll put the makeup. Kinda like blueprints."

_Amazing, _Evangeline thought sarcastically.

This continued on for a few more minutes with Shade nitpicking every detail. It seemed like everyone knew her sister's scar more than she did. Farley finished and stood back to admire her work.

"I must say your sister has an impressive scar," she noted.

"Thanks?"

Farley reached back into her box."How'd she get it?"

Evangeline paused. How did her sister get her scar? War? No, she had the scar when they were kids in Rift House. Birth defect? Maybe. From her manifestation? Could have made it worse but hadn't she had it the day Evangeline saw her in the basement? She couldn't remember; most of her childhood she tried to block out. "I don't know," was her final answer.

Farley's eyes screamed 'I'm judging you' as she turned back. "Seriously? You want to play your sister but you can't even explain the most obvious feature about her?"

"I didn't offer to play her!" Evangeline snapped. "You volunteered me!"

"Yes, because Shade could play Oliverara so much better than you."

"Thank you!" Shade smiled.

Evangeline rolled her eyes. "Well I'm sorry I'm not an expert on my sister. The sister who I wasn't raised with or able to socialize with until five years ago."

Shade sat up more in the bed as Fraley began painting white chalk on the lines. "How about I give you a crash course on Oliverara before you flop trying to be her?" Fearing another slap Evangeline just nodded.

"Okay!" Shade excitedly moved again. "Ow," he winced.

_Idiot._

"So Oliverara's favorite color is blue because in the Choke blue sky meant that the air would get fresh soon. Her favorite food is this yellow plant we would lick sweet syrup from during hikes when the guards refused to feed us. Your mother gave her the scar when she was born. Her favorite drink is ch-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Evangeline spun the whole way around to look at Shade. The chalky paste left a random line across her left cheek. "Back up!"

"Do you want a better description of the plant? Okay it was on the long side and-"

No!" She screamed. "What do you mean my mother gave her the scar?"

"The scar you're going to ruin?" Farley pulled Evangeline's face back to her and wiped away the excess paste.

"Okay look Oliverara told us that one drunken night and I barely remember it," Shade explained.

"Well try!" Evangeline snapped.

Shade sighed. "Fine. What I can tell you is Oliverara has memories of your mother slashing her up. She thinks it's her first memory, and in the barracks sometimes she'd have nightmares and wake up screaming 'snake'. Happy?"

Evangeline set her jaw tight to keep from speaking. Why would Oli not tell her this? It wasn't like Evie was close to their mother. The rest of Farley's painting was silent.

Finally the Red finished. She added dark streaks to some of the smaller cuts for a finishing touch. Evangeline looked in the mirror. She looked just like Oli. Minus the milky eye.

"Now you're really gonna need to hold still."

Kilorn pushed Evangeline back ono the bed and gripped her head. "What are you doing?!" Evangeline shrieked as she twisted.

"Hold still," Farley said again. She held the white pate in her hand and slowly dribbled it down onto Evangeline's face. The powder burned like smoke and smelled worse as it got up her nose. Kilorn released her head after the powder had settled. She blinked and coughed but the white sheen over her left eye was noticeable.

"How am I supposed to fight when I can barely see?" Evangeline tried to blink away the white, but the power just stung more.

Shade scoffed. "Your sister is the best fighter the Reds or Silvers ever saw, and she's fully blind in that eye. Deal with it Evangeline."


	5. Stupid Girl

**Stupid ****Girl**

Evangeline's room was dark. Very dark. Oliverara wanted to pull open the blinds but Elara had warned her not to. The world could not see her yet, Maven and Elara were still constructing a lie fit for the Silver population. Her appearance at the coffin would get her in trouble if Ellyn told anyone, but Oliverara knew she wouldn't. She also knew hugging her had been a mistake. She had talked so often about Evangeline that Ellyn could probably tell them apart even if they did look alike. _Calm down, _Oliverara coached herself, _she will not understand. She is too grief stricken. _

Oliverara had been pacing the room for hours. The silence of the halls angered her. After declaring her to be Evangeline, Maven left. Just like that. No warning. Just up and gone. Oliverara knew he had gone after the Reds, but despite trusting that the Scarlet Guard was smart enough to have an escape route, she still worried. Maven was smart and he had an army fueled by anger. Anger and grief. Grief over a lost king and now a lost general.

A knock on the door startled her. "Who is it?" Oliverara called.

"Your brother."

Oliverara threw open the door and wrapped Tolly in a tight hug. "I thought they'd never let you out of the infirmary," she sighed.

"I wasn't in the infirmary. I followed Maven on his march after the Scarlet Guard," Tolly replied.

Oliverara pushed back from the hug. "You're joking." Tolly shook his head no. "I can't believe you! You seriously went after the Scarlet Guard? They have Evie! If they die so does she!"

Tolly grabbed Oliverara's shoulders and shook her gently. "Get a hold of yourself Oli. This is Evie we're talking about. She'll be fine. We didn't get far anyway." He paused. "What matters now is getting you out in front of the council with Maven."

"I'm not going anywhere or doing anything that monster wants!" Oliverara pushed Tolly back away from her. "I won't play Evangeline! I refuse!"

Her brother grabbed her arms and held her as she tried to hit him again. Oliverara knew she could throw him out of the room if she wanted, but everything that had happened drained her. Murder, battles, the switch, and now being declared dead came crashing down on her.

Oliverara ran to the bathroom and threw up the last possible remnants of her stomach. Most of it was alcohol. She coughed and spat out phlegm as Tolly stood by the door. "Are you okay Oli?"

"No!" She cried. "I'm dead! I'm playing Evangeline! I can't tell Ellyn, I cant tell Dad, I can't have a thought, and I'd give anything to have a drink!" Oliverara collapsed on the floor. Her dress pooled around her in a sea of silver, and the wig fell over her eyes. She had no energy to push it away. "I can't even cry about it," she whispered.

Tolly sat down next to her. His fingers brushed the silver locks out of her way. "Why not? This seems like an acceptable reason to cry."

"But when do I stop? When have I cried over the acceptable things? When do I cross the point of true sadness to self pity? Do I start with Evie disappearing? Or do I go all the way back to coming home? Or should I cry over each person I've hurt individually: Mare, Cal, the boy in the cells, the Reds and Silvers in the sewers, the soldiers in the Choke?" More phlegm burned in her throat. "When does it all end Tolly!"

He didn't answer her. He couldn't. Instead Ptolemus pulled his sister closer to him and pressed his face into the faux silver on her head. He wanted to cry, but Oliverara was right. Where did it end?

* * *

Maven paced angrily across the empty throne room. His boots hit loudly off the marble floors; the Silver blood of is father still decorating it. His mother sat patiently on the throne, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger. Her crown glowed in the light, almost like an angel.

_If you're going to narrate at least do it out loud. _Maven jolted at her voice ringing through him. Her smile widened at his flinch. _So long and you still aren't used to me? For shame my Maven. For shame._

"I am perfectly used to you Mother," Maven snapped. "I'd just like to be alone with my thoughts sometimes."

"Then don't think so loudly," she snarled.

The silence continued on. Elara impatiently wringing her hands while Maven stood with regal posture at the base of the throne. He was anticipating the crowd of reporters that would flood the room soon. They would want to know what had happened in the Bowl of Bones, what had happened to Oliverara, and how was the Scarlet Guard going to pay. Maven knew the answer to none of those.

_They already know she's dead. They don't need to know anymore than that. _

"They are reporters Mother," Maven huffed. "If they don't get intricate details they question. We are too unsteady right now for such questions." Elara snorted but gave no response back.

Sounds of footsteps echoed outside the room. _They are here. _Elara's words taunted him, and his lack of answers. _Where is the Red? She was to be here by now. _

"She'll be here Mother just wait. We threw a lot at her today."

The back door behind the throne opened and out stepped Ptolemus and the new Evangeline. Oliverara looked ravishing he had to admit. The wig fit her head nicely and the metal adorning her body glittered in the lights. The harsh scowl on her face was the spitting image of Evangeline herself.

_Of course she is, _Elara sighed. _They are twins Maven. _

_Yes Mother I know. _Maven sucked in his breath and extended his hand to the Red. "Shall we greet the vultures?"

"I already have."

Maven tried not to flinch as her metallic rings dug into his hand. Her grip was powerful, and so was the ability brewing beneath it. Ptolemus watched them carefully from next to Elara. In a room with a mind reader and two magnetron royalty, Maven felt like he was the one forced to be here.

_Now don't be so rude to the Samos's Maven. Oliverara is not their royalty. _

The reporters flocked around Maven and Oliverara as the door was opened. The two held hands as they stepped up on the pedestal. His black suit and her silver dress clashed yet flowed together. The lights and the voices and the faces all blotted each other out. It was pandemonium. Oliverara dug her nails into Maven's skin until his Silver blood caked under them.

"I know today has been a harrowing day," Maven began. "Our great King Tiberias, my father, was murdered by my brother. The deed influenced by a Red liar and the Scarlet Guard; a radical terrorist group bent on destroying the sanctity of Silver life in Norta. To prove their point, they invaded our own arena of justice and have taken my brother and his Red seductress. In the process, they took the life of one of our own: General Oliverara Samos. Yes, the rumors are true! The great Silver general is dead! The Scarlet Guard striped her of her life and her honor when they took her body with them. We will give her a heroes funeral, attended by all, in honor of the life she sacrificed trying to defend our country." Maven turned to Oliverara. "Now her sister, my betrothed, Lady Evangeline has a few words to say."

Oliverara's eyes widened and flew to Maven. He stepped back and the Silvers crowded closer to her. "Yes, today my sister has been pronounced dead. My brother Ptolemus and I are in great mourning over her." Oliverara paused. She had no clue what to say to these people. She had no clue what Evangeline would say.

_Death to the Scarlet Guard._

Elara's voice startled her. She couldn't say that! Not when her sister was with them!

_Say it._

"I-um I feel much loss for those who have fallen today. Our king-_death to the Scarlet Guard- _and, um, my sister, and for the prince we have lost to the Reds. But we cannot-_death to the Scarlet Guard-_we cannot lose hope of the fu-_death to the Scarlet Guard-_the future. We are Silvers-_death to the Guard-_we are strong-_say it- _and we have pow-_say it!-_power beyond what they know. We will stay-_death to the Scarlet Guard!-_we will stay strong through this time and all others, thank you." Oliverara turned and ran back into the throne room and through the hidden door. She crashed against it. She had to cry. She desperately wanted to cry. But anytime the tears came up to her eyes something drove them back. Her sadness ebbed and flowed through her, no release allowed for the pain in her chest. A hand seemed to have enclosed itself around her heart; trapping the sorrow deep inside it.

_Stupid girl._


	6. Kill The Red

**Kill The Red**

Oliverara posed next to Maven on the throne of silent stone. She could feel the stone's power seeping through her muscles. She wanted to flex the rings wrapped around her fingers but the fear of someone seeing was too great. She was supposed to be Evangeline. She was supposed to be a Silver. Silent stone could not be her friend right now. The court surrounded them, but no one dared to ask a question. They stood silent against their house colors. Everyone was waiting for Maven to speak.

"So much has happened today," Maven whispered his words so only a few in the front could hear. His words rippled from their mouths back through to the farthest away. Like dropping a stone in a still lake. "We have lost so many, to death, to lies, to deceit. Now I sit here, nothing more than a boy, wishing I knew where to begin in rebuilding our country." His voice rose with every word so the final emphasis on 'country' echoed off the walls of Whitefire. "My court," Maven stood with his billowing robe flowing down the steps, "I have called you here today not because I wish to take away from your mourning, but because now is the time to act! The Scarlet Guard cannot be allowed to do any more destruction to our state, to our government, and to our people. We must protect Norta from the influence of those who wish to end the power and strength we hold!"

The court muttered words of pleasure at his warlike tone. They too wanted revenge for the king, for Oliverara, for Cal turning. They wanted blood.

_And blood they shall have. _

_Get out of my head Elara. _

_If it were that easy to get rid of us darling, my house wouldn't be so feared. _

_Shouldn't you be coaching your son?_

_Shouldn't you have been killed upon birth? We all have our sour moments._

_He kicked you out of his mind didn't he? Ha, your own son doesn't ne-_

_Silence!_

A high pitched squeal rang through Oliverara's head. She grabbed at the base of her skull where a pain was growing. _Damn you Elara. _The Queen's proud grin from across the room mocked her as another scream rippled through her mind. Dots blurred her vision and soft tears ran down her cheek. A few court members gave her a sympathetic look. _I am not crying for you, _Oliverara wanted to scream.

Maven was continuing in his tirade next to her. He was pacing across the front of the throne like an impatient child. "We need a stronger army, we need more Silver recruits, we need better equipment! The Reds had us believing Naercey was a wasteland, but they lied! What other places are we avoiding that the Reds use as hideouts? What other places are hiding under our noses? No more! The Reds will not control us anymore!"

The cheers of the court made Oliverara sick. How many innocent Reds was Maven going to kill to prove his point?

_Less than you killed to protect your secret. _

Oliverara wasn't sure if that was her or Elara.

"Now my court," Maven stepped down closer to the floor. Yet his feet never leaving the Silent Stone barrier. "I am ready to enact new laws to ensure Norta's survival during this trying time. Yes, some of you may find it repulsive, but it is the only way to ensure the sanctity of Norta!"

The court was practically leaning into his words. Like dogs getting ready to pounce on their new meal. Again, Oliverara felt sick at the sight. Maven's words didn't make her any less nauseous.

"To begi-" The door in the back was pushed open in the middle of Maven's words. Ptolemus stood there panting and heaving. "What is the meaning of this Samos?" Maven yelled from the throne.

"Your Majesty," Ptolemus coughed out the title, "the Scarlet Guard are making an announcement."

"What!"

Maven seemed to grow wings as he dashed off the pedestal and down across the floor. Oliverara was up and behind him in seconds, her military training overriding her logic telling her to stay. The court parted as the two followed Ptolemus out of the room. The halls were filled with servants, guards, houses, and reporters; all in shock silence at whatever was on the screens.

"Move!" Oliverara knocked people out of her and Maven's way to get to one of Whitefire's screens. She almost dropped dead. So did Maven.

There on the screen was Evangeline.

Dressed like _her. _

"No." Elara's voice, her actual voice, startled Oliverara. Not just the voice, the fact Elara sounded scared.

Evangeline was standing against a metal wall backdrop. Her facial scar was creased with determination and even the white of her "dead" eye seemed hard with anger. She was believable. She looked like she was really Oliverara. "People of Norta, I am Oliverara Samos. Former General of the Nortan Army, and former servant to your tyranny. Norta is under attack; by the Silvers, by your fake king! Maven Calore usurped the throne from his brother and he has condemned you all to death if you stand by him! He is hiding your greatest assets from you! Reds are not as lowly as you think, and Silvers are not the only ones with strength and power!"

"She's not," Maven whispered.

Evangeline donned a knife hovering next to her.

"She is," Oliverara gasped.

Evangeline held her arm up and the knife cut into her veins. Red liquid poured out from the cut. "I am Oliverara Samos, strongest magnetron to exist, and I am a Red! I was born a Red, I fought as a Red, and I will die fighting for my people to have their freedom!" The camera focused in on the blood dripping down her forearm. "Rise, red as the dawn."

The screen cut to black.

Oliverara collapsed. Arms caught her. She wasn't sure whose. "No, no, no," she whispered. Eyes turned to her and Maven. Everyone was waiting for something. Anything. The look on Maven's face showed nothing. No plan. No excuse.

Oliverara didn't remember moving. She didn't remember getting up and walking down the hall. Nor did she remember grabbing the torch on the wall. All she did remember was opening the door to the room with the empty coffin.

And tossing the torch on top of it.

As the flames filled the room, burning the flowers and medals to a crisp, Oliverara turned to the amazed eyes watching her. It was only later Ptolemus told her what their real reason for staring was. Not her burning the room. It was what she was screaming.

"Kill the Red! Kill the Red!"


	7. The Beginning Of Becoming

**The Beginning of Becoming**

The camera clicked off. Evangeline still stood with her arm up, the red dye trickling down her arm. _Don't look at it. Don't look at it. _Farley came forward and pulled her arm down to peel off the flesh colored dye packet. A flash of red caught Evangeline's eyes.

She hurled.

"I wouldn't have guessed you were squeamish around blood," Kilorn joked from across the room.

"It's not blood," Evangeline choked out. "It's the color that makes me sick."

Farley ripped off a few flakes of pristine skin as she tore the glue off. "A word of advice princess, don't give your spiel to anyone else on this ship, or you won't survive to the next stop."

Evangeline spat. It pinged on the metal floor. "You won't let your greatest asset die."

"We only needed you to prove Oliverara is alive. We don't need to show you ever again," Kilorn brandished a perfectly polished fishhook with a grin. Farley's hand was resting on the gun on her hip as well. Evangeline eyed the two Reds a few seconds longer before slipping out of their sight and back into the infirmary. Shade smiled at her from the bed.

"I see you're making friends."

"Shut up."

Evangeline continued out the other door of the infirmary and into the metal halls of the underwater ship they were on. The jagged moving through her legs off balance and she grabbed the wall. Nothing was there and she landed perfectly on her ass by the door. Shade's laughter told her he had seen.

"You know," he called, "Oliverara had perfect balance!"

Evangeline chucked a metal tray at him. After steadying herself enough to get up she stumbled down the hall. Two guards were stationed at the corner, laughing and jibbing with each other. As Evangeline passed them they both jumped to attention, and saluted her.

"General Samos, an honor to meet the great newblood in the flesh," one said.

"Um, thank you. I'm glad to do what I can, to uh, help the cause," Evangeline tripped over her words but the two didn't seem to care. She saluted back and continued down the hall, faster. _I can't do this. _As if the world wished to make her life harder, as she rounded another corner she crashed straight into the one and only Mare Barrow.

The two girls jumped back. Evangeline hit the wall hard while Mare tripped over nothing and crashed to the ground. "Don't scare a magnetron like that!" Evangeline yelled. "I could've stabbed you!"

Mare was looking at her in shock. "How did you, what, how are you here? Why are you here?!" She got up and backed away from Evangeline.

"What? Barrow, we were jus- oh! No! I'm not Oliverara! I'm Evangeline! Your brother, and that boy with the fish hooks, and the woman with the scar dressed me up like her, cause they screwed up and took me instead. Oliverara is pretending to be me back at Whitefire!" Mare was still backing away from her but her eyes were reading Evangeline over.

"Where's Shade?"

Evangeline pointed down the hall to the infirmary. Mare stepped cautiously around her and darted down the direction she had pointed. Evangeline sighed, debating following her. _I have better things to do, _she decided. _Like finding out where this boat is going. _

She continued through the twisting metal halls of the ship. Reds were _everywhere! _They sat in rooms talking, they stood against corners fixing wires, they leaned on guns half their size, they laughed as if anything they said was funny, and they wore those disgusting red scarfs on every item they owned! Shirts with red patches, shoes with red lining, red handkerchiefs in their pockets, and red ribbons in their hair! Some still had red blood on their faces. A few had silver. Evangeline kept her head down and kept moving past them. A swarm of them suddenly stepped in front of her and Evangeline jumped back again. Damn, how jumpy was she? She pressed through the sea of reds, but a hand caught her arm.

"General Samos?" A young girl, maybe 15 or 16, stood before her. She wore a brown uniform and had a gash on her forehead. The red blood had dried on the side of her face. Evangeline watched her carefully. The way her black hair cured around her cheeks, the way her brown eyes glowed at the center from the lights, the confident way she stood; how did she know Oliverara?

_Remember, deep, scratchy, hoarse. _"Yes, do I know you?"

The girl instantly salted her with a surprising amount of vigor. "I served in your first command group in the Choke! It was my entry year. I was raised on the war front like you! It was always inspiring how you stayed so positive about surviving. I mean, who would've thought we'd ever get out of those trenches alive, but you always talked about the next day as if it were a given. I can't believe you're here with us! I can't believe you're a newblood!" The girl happily saluted her again before running off to catch up with her friends.

"She's so young," Evangeline whispered.

"So was your sister I hear." Kilorn stood at the end of the hall brandishing his fish hook. "Farley told me to follow you, just in case," his snide smile made her want to choke him.

"Oliverara was supposed to die on the battlefield. Father didn't expect her to live to be like this." Evangeline motioned to herself.

"But she did survive."

"Woop dee do she did what we all have to do," Evangeline snapped.

Kilorn cocked his head. "I've heard the stories Shade tells about her. How she entered at 7, commanded at 13, and was forced to slaughter her own people; soldiers she had served with; right before her promotion to General at 16. He talks about her constantly. How many she's killed, how heavily she drinks, the types of nightmares she'd have." Kilorn got closer to Evangeline with each word until he was breathing in her face. "Do you really think you deserve the same accolades your sister does for surviving?"

Evangeline threw Kilorn against the wall by the metal on his belt. He gasped as the wind was knocked from his lungs. Now it was her turn to get in his face.

"Listen to me closely fish boy," Evangeline spat, "I know Oliverara better than anyone! She is my twin. And I know that if she were having a hard time dealing with the life she's led she would come to me! Not to the Barrow Boys, not to Ellyn, not even to Tolly, to me! I have never treated her like less than just because of her blood."

Kilorn lifted his head so their foreheads were centimeters apart. "But have you thought it?"

Evangeline couldn't answer that. Kilorn grinned "Thought so." Evangeline threw him to the floor and walked away. Now was not the time to pick enemies, especially not with someone who knew her secret.

The halls got darker the farther in she went. Kilorn wasn't following behind her after awhile. His footsteps turned back a few minutes in. She was completely alone. Alone with her thoughts; alone with a power she couldn't use.

_Maybe I am Oliverara._


	8. Price of Loyalty

**Price of Loyalty**

"That was a very striking performance Oliverara. They believed exactly what I wanted them to believe! That you are a Silver, disgusted by the lies of your Red sister. Perhaps next time you won't be so quick to push aside my suggestions." Elara stood by the door with her catlike gaze as Maven paced the room. Oliverara hadn't spoken since her burning of the coffin. Since Evangeline had told the world she was a Red.

_How could she do this to me? Why? This all was supposed to go away and our lives would be back to normal. So soon. So quick. Now I'm a traitor, a liar, a freak for all of Norta to laugh at. I can never be Oliverara again._

"Mother we get it, this is bad. Your charade with Oliverara might have bought us time but the country is going to want to hear our plans. They think one of their greatest generals is a Red Rat. They'll be confused, scared. We need to give them an idea so strong and powerful they forget how scared they are," Maven frowned into his hand. He was at a loss for any ideas.

"Let's start small," Ptolemus spoke. He sat on the window ledge overlooking the courtyard below. His eyes were watching everything. Making himself useful was the only option to stay alive anymore. "We begin by strengthening the army, adding more soldiers. Then we create better technology systems, shorten our communication networks for less leaks, and add security everywhere. We'll spin a trap so wide the Reds can't get into it. They'll smoke themselves out before we need to."

Maven nodded. "That could work. But it's not a full plan. We need something that can withstand however long the Reds draw this out." He went back to pacing. Oliverara fiddled with her hands and the rings wrapped around her fingers. The metal was calming.

"We need to make the Silver community feel safe again," Elara said. "If they feel unsafe they will turn on us. Their king is dead, their prince is a traitor, and now their general is a Red. They need someone to believe in again."

"What are you saying?" Ptolemus asked. "We give them a new Oliverara? That's impossible! No Silver is as strong as she is with her power; it's a one in a million chance to find someone as talented."

"Stop talking like I'm not right here!" Oliverara screamed. "I don't know why they loved me so much! Maybe it's because I'm powerful, maybe just because they loved my story, or maybe they just liked seeing another Samos in charge." She stood and crossed to Maven, her power holding his boots in place. "If you want to give these people hope you need a new survivor story. A new army member with a terrible past from a well known family with a strong power. Do you have that?"

Maven thought for a few seconds. His gray eyes scanned her chrome ones. He looked lost, like he had no clue. Then his expression morphed. His eyes glowed a bit more, the corners of his mouth turned upward ever so slightly, and a low chuckle left his mouth.

"We have just that. We have that in abundance."

Elara perked up in the corner. "Oh Maven that is just the slightest bit too far. Think what the Houses will say!"

"I don't care mother! This is how we make the people feel safe again. Give them the feelings of pride and love they want! We give them a team of people who know what they are doing and know how to operate." He turned to Ptolemus. "Samos, you will lead."

Ptolemus cautiously stood. "Lead what?"

"A new army."

* * *

The steps of Whitefire were filled for the third time that day. Oliverara's death, the Scarlet Guard's announcement, and now Maven's mandate. His new plan that would inspire Norta back on its feet. Oliverara had a gnawing sense of dread in her stomach. If it was so bad Elara thought it shouldn't be done, then what could it possible be? After rushing from the room, Maven had locked himself in the king's study, frantically calling for paper, army ranks, and any other document he could get. He was drafting people for his team. Oliverara half hoped she would be included in it. If not to get to fight again, but to stay with Tolly. Protect him. She couldn't do that for long.

The doors opened and Maven joined her and Elara on the pedestal. Lights flashed brightly and the voices quieted as he raised his arms. The colors of the houses displayed across the courtyard looked sickly. Everyone was scared that Norta was dying.

_Norta will not die. Not while Maven reigns. Your Red friends won't get far in their "revolution". _

_They're not my friends, Elara. You know this. And they seem to have gotten pretty far already. _

Another short squeal ricocheted through her mind. It was weaker than before thankfully, but it still stung behind her eyes.

_Shut up Rat, _Elara growled.

"People of Norta," Maven began. "I know today has made us see many terrible things. I know that you are scared, fearful of the Scarlet Guard and what their presence means for Norta. I know that you are disheartened by the revelation of General Oliverara Samos. I know that only time can heal the wounds we suffered today. But we do not have time! We are out of time! The Scarlet Guard is here and they are emboldened. They are here to crush Norta, to crush the entire Silver empire. We cannot let them! We cannot sit back in our grief and let fear overtake us! I have made a plan that will save Norta and give you back the hope that the Scarlet Guard ripped from you today!" The crowd cheered wildly. Clapping and yelling echoed through their ranks. Even the houses had perked up.

"Today," Maven screamed to be heard over the din, "is the day that Norta changes! Changes in ways that you might not understand!" The crowd was slowly quieting. "I have made a list of Silver's, notable Silver's, that are going to go and fight for Norta's glory on the front lines. They will show their strength and power in the way they valiantly fight for Norta!"

More applause from the crowd. More cheers. Oliverara noticed the houses had gone quiet. They were whispering with their heads low. She almost thought they looked _scared_.

_Of course they are scared, _Elara interrupted. _They are wondering which of their children will be going to fight. _

_Maven won't send young kids to war. _

_But in doing so he will cement the house's loyalty, by taking their children to the front lines of a battle he can constantly change in his favor. He gets unwavering loyalty, and a new powerful army for the people to love. Two birds with one stone my dear._

So that gnawing in her stomach had been right.

Maven brandished a long list to the tune of many people oohing and ahhing. "People of Norta, I give you your new army! Led by General Ptolemus Samos!" Tolly stepped down the stairs dressed in all black. The chains around his torso clacked together as the people parted before him. Shoulder pads with silver outlines and a shiny nameplate decorated him. Not just any nameplate; _her_ nameplate! Stripped from one of her old uniforms in haste, but shining on her brother's chest all the same. Anger roared through Oliverara that twisted the necklaces around her neck into tight knots. Maven had _promoted _him?! To _her_ rank?! She was so busy trying not to kill Maven were he stood that she almost missed his next words. "Now, all those who I call, please rise for your General, and for all of Norta!

Andros Eagrie

Oliver Laris

Rohr Rhambos

Atara Viper

Sonya Iral

Tirana Osanos

Heron Welle

Daniel Gliacon

Michel Tyros

Elane Haven

and second in command to General Samos: Colonel Ellyn Macanthos!"

Oliverara's stomach started turning more somersaults than a snapdragon during practice. Elane rose next to her house colors, her red hair standing out proudly against them. Her small body trembled as the whole of House Haven bowed their heads. One by one the others did the same for their own children who had been called.

_They don't agree with this, _Oliverara thought to Elara. _But they are too scared to disagree._

_They will be fine. Soon they will see that this is for the benefit of Norta. Their children will be hailed as heroes._

_Yeah, at their funerals._

Elara laughed out loud, startling Oliverara. _Oh don't be so dramatic! They are Silvers. Death does not fall to us at the hands of Reds. _

_Tell that to Summerton. _

Another shriek ripped through her head. Oliverara grabbed her temple as tears leaked down her cheeks. _STOP! _She screamed. _Stop, stop, stop!_

_Do not speak ill of the dead, Rat._

Oliverara forced herself to stand upright. To be tall and proud like any Silver should. Except the Silver's in front of her did not look tall and proud. They looked scared and weak. The kids standing were no bigger than mice from where Maven's pedestal was, but he didn't care. He was smiling. Smiling as if he had solved all the problems in the world. He was watching the kids come forward to Ptolemus. Oliverara watched as Elane fell in line beside Ellyn. The two brushed shoulders. Oliverara wanted so badly to grab Maven's throat, to choke him, to warp the blood in his body into nothing but sludge, to scream "what are you doing! You're sending my lover to war! You're sending Evie's, you're sending my brother, you're sending children!" Instead she squeezed her lips tighter. This was no place for disobedience.

But yet it almost was. Because standing up on that pedestal Oliverara noticed Maven's expression change. His eyes hardened ever so slightly, the heat coming off of him ever so stronger. For now it wasn't the Houses bowing to the new army; it was everyone. The reporters, the onlookers, even the Sentinels on the edges of the stairs. All had bowed their heads as Ptolemus walked his new troops through the people and off into Whitefire. They were saying goodbye. They knew they would never see their children again.

Maven had their children, he had their namesakes, he even had their public approval, but they made it very clear he did not have their loyalty.


	9. Normal

**Normal**

It was pouring rain on the island the Reds called 'Tuck'. Evangeline longed to crawl back into the safe metal ship, but arms crawled down from the sky and pulled her into the light. Evangeline raised her hand, expecting to flip her wet hair out of her eyes, but found nothing but skin. She missed her long silver locks already. A rough hand took her forearm and pulled her to the sturdy boards of the dock. She blinked in the blinding rain to see their face but the person disappeared back to the boat. She stood watching more obscure shadows emerge from the hole and make their way through the downpour towards the warm glowing light of barracks. Evangeline longed to go in there out of the rain, yet she stood on the dock until Farley and Mare were up through the hole.

"Good, you know not to run around like a child," Farley's compliment sounded more like a chastise.

"I see you took your sweet time getting up here," Evangeline growled. Farley just smiled. Mare was uncharacteristically silent next to her.

The rain stung her eyes as the trio stepped off the dock. Thunder crackled in the sky and brilliant flashes of lightning lit up the dark clouds. Evangeline glanced at Mare, waiting for her to reach up and call to the lightning. But she didn't. She watched it with blank eyes as it faded off with a distant roar. Evangeline almost felt bad for her. It must be terrible to lose the longing to use your power. She had once felt the same pain Mare did, so she felt for her.

_Almost_.

Chains clicked on the wet ground and a warm presence chased away the chill. Cal stood behind them, an armed guard on either side. He could melt those chains in an instant, but he was docile now. He had no throne, no crown, no kingdom, nothing to run back to except another empty cell. At least here he was useful alive.

A man and more guards emerged from the rain. They wore military style uniforms and had red sashes covering most of their body. The man in the center even had red film covering his eye. Farley greeted him as he approached but he completely brushed her off. Instead he stepped around her, brushed past Mare, and stopped in front of Evangeline.

"Well would you look at that," he sighed. "Oliverara Samos. We meet again."

Evangeline looked over his shoulder at Farley helplessly. When had Oliverara met this guy?! "Um, my apologies, but I don't recall us ever meeting."

The man laughed sharply. "Oh we have never met personally. You destroyed a platoon of my men sneaking through tunnels under the Choke. I watched you kill them all." His hand came up suddenly and Evangeline instinctively stepped back, expecting a hit or a weapon or something.

He _saluted _her. Then walked off to the men guarding Cal.

"What was that?" Evangeline barked at Farley.

"That, was the Commander," Farley spat. "You're on his good side, I'd recommend staying there."

"Why did he salute you?" Mare asked. "He just said your sister killed his men." Her eyes watched the Commander in a dazed fashion. She didn't seem to be focused on anything.

"Oliverara Samos was barely 13 when she killed 100 Scarlet Guard members, including a member of Command, in the tunnels underneath the Choke. She never told her commanding officer about the incident, and after they were all dead the Commander claims he watched her fall on top of one of the bodies and cry. Cry and apologize for what she'd done. He's been interested in her ever since. Shade's revelation that she was Red only fueled him more to find her." Farley looked Evangeline in her clear eye. "I hope you understand the weight of the mantle you are taking up Samos."

* * *

Evangeline's room was warm and lit by a gentle firelight. A window in the corner was frosted over but she could still see the rain pouring outside. Cal had been taken to his own cell and Mare was led away to her family. Evangeline, of course, was alone in a small room. She sat on the bed which hardened underneath her. It wasn't light as air like her bed at Rift House. A bed she had at many times spent the day in with Elane wrapped in her arms. A strong tug churned in her gut. _Don't think about her. Don't think about Elane, or Tolly, or Oli. Don't. _

As Evangeline pushed the bubbling feelings back down she slowly started stripping off the wet suit she was wearing. The suit from the Bowl of Bones. Hard to believe that it had been only a few hours before. Fleeing, transforming, bringing Oliverara back from the dead, outing her sister to all of Norta, and Maven becoming king; it all felt like it had happened in different time periods. Different points of her life. Not in the span of a few hours. A life couldn't change so much in so little time. It took years to mold a person, not a few hours. It took more than a few seconds to strip someones normal.

A loud banging on her door made a few involuntary tears streak her cheeks. Evangeline undid the lock and pulled the door open on its metal hinges. She was too tired to get up from the bed. Bree and Tramy stood on the other side, bouncing on their toes like excited children. Evangeline was almost too tired to get up and hug them. But Oliverara would never be too tired for the boys who saved her life. And she was Oliverara now.

"Bree! Tramy!" She launched herself across the room and into the first boy's arms. "I was hoping I'd see you tonight!" The two boys tossed her between them, messing with her close cut hair and holding her against their chests. They were laughing and even crying a bit.

"When that silver announced you were dead, we thought Shade had screwed up," Tramy wiped loose tears from his face and smeared them on Bree's shoulder. "We're so glad you're alive, and even here with us." He wrapped her in another hug.

"Tramy, I-I can't breathe," she gasped. He released her and Evangeline crumbled to the floor coughing. "I'm glad to see you too," she said, still coughing.

"You finally told them," Bree laughed and smacked her on the back. "After all these years you finally rubbed it in Norta's face that the girl they worship is Red." He hugged her again. "I'm so damn proud of you kid," he whispered in her ear. Evangeline felt a harsh sob rise in her throat. _Proud_ was a word her family never threw around. She couldn't recall a time she'd _ever_ heard it from her parents. She had heard Dad say it about Oli though. A lot. And Tolly. Never about her. Evangeline let her face rest in the crook of Bree's neck a few seconds longer as she blinked away a few tears.

Finally the two boys left and Evangeline was all alone, again. Inside her lonesome room. She curled up in a ball on the bed. It was so uncomfortable. The mattress was stiff and lumpy in all the wrong places. She could feel bruises forming on her ribs with every turn. After what felt like hours of tossing and turning Evangeline sat up. She needed to get out. Out somewhere.

After making her way through the twisting halls of the barrack, Evangeline emerged into the damp night air. She breathed in fresh moss, wet grass, and salty spray from the sea. She trekked along the worn paths in the ground; her feet tracing the way so many had walked or rode already. It was calming, just her and the sounds of the waves. It would've been more calming if she had some metal to play with. Or a knife to toss around. Evangeline missed the metal statues in her room that she could mold however she wanted. She missed the metal jewelry adorning her mannequins. An she especially missed the metal that decorated her sister and brother. She missed Oli and Tolly worse than ever before. Evangeline made her way up a small hill that crested right before the sand began. She could see parts of the stars through the dark night fog. Calm, exactly what she needed.

"Didn't think I'd see you out here." A voice startled Evangeline and she whirled around to find Mare standing behind her. "I know you said don't sneak up on a magnetron," Mare continued, "but I guessed you didn't have any metal on you."

"Aren't you just the luckiest person to exist," Evangeline snapped. There went her nice and calm environment.

Mare didn't take the hint she wasn't interested in talking and instead came up next to her. "If I'm so lucky then why am I here away from my home with a bounty on my head?"

"I don't know. Ask your brothers, or your parents, or the people here who respect you, or your friends, or your boy-toy, or-"

"Cal is not my boy toy." Mare interrupted.

Evangeline sighed. "And yet he'll do whatever you say like it's law." She turned to Mare. "Barrow, it disgusts me how lucky you are. Yes, you are on an island in the middle of nowhere with a maniac after you. But you're here with you family, with your friends, with a boy who will do anything for you, with a power that people respect, and with a great weight put on every word you say. You own this damn island, and any place we go after it! I'm stuck here with no allies, no family, no lover, no familiarity, and nowhere near the amount of power they think I have. So yeah, I think you're pretty damn lucky."

Mare just stood there, watching Evangeline with a shocked look. Evangeline huffed and went back down the hill. She couldn't deal with this.

"What about my brothers?" Mare called down the hill. "They're your allies! The people on this island who served under your sister are your allies! Cal will be your ally! If you'd stop treating me like I'm just some stupid Red I'd even be your ally!" Evangeline stopped walking, but didn't turn around. "You are so wrapped up in the fact that no one here is cantering to you that you don't see how many people are on your side!" Mare came around and got right in Evangeline's face. "C'mon, tell me right now that you think everyone is against you, and we can go right now. Right here, we'll settle what started in the Bowl of Bones."

Evangeline opened her mouth, ready to spit at Mare for getting so close to her, but stopped. Mare was right, there were allies here. But not for her. For Oliverara. Everyone thought she was Oliverara. And now, that was her only survival tactic. Be Oliverara, so fully not even a speck of Evangeline shied through. And the first step, was to do exactly what Mare said, stop acting like everyone around her was a stupid Red.

"You're right Barrow. They are my allies. Because I am Oliverara Samos, and I-I'm sorry I don't treat you that well, but I'll try to work on that. No promises though." Evangeline pushed past Mare and finished her walk down the hill and back to the entrance to the barrack. Her eyes scanned the gray dismal building. This was her normal now. From sky high mansions and party dresses to uniforms and rebellion in a few hours. This was her new normal.


	10. Friends And Foes

**Friends And Foes**

The morning came calling; rudely. Very rudely. The frosted window did nothing to keep out the glaring sunlight. Evangeline squinted against the light before cowering back into her pillow. She felt like she hadn't slept a wink. Dragging herself from the bed was harder than she had thought it would be. After struggling into a gray and black uniform hanging in the closet Evangeline laced up a pair of sleek black boots. She had to admit, she looked pretty good in military attire. Maybe she could add this style into her normal ball gowns and training uniforms. _No,_ Evangeline stopped herself._ You are not Evangeline anymore. You need to stop thinking like her._

The mess hall was just that, a mess. Random food was stuck to the floor, some of the lights flickered randomly, and the smell coming from the kitchen made her nauseous. And yet the rest of the Red soldiers laughed and joked with their friends like the whole room wasn't a place of disgusting filth. Evangeline looked around for a familiar face but the sea of people showed nothing. After a few minutes of wading through uniforms a hand yanked her over to a table. Bree grinned down at her.

"We were wondering when you'd show up Oli," he laughed and slapped her arm. Tramy and some other people were scattered around the table with gruel on their plates. Evangeline cringed at it. _C'mon suck it up and eat it. _The slop was tasteless and chewy but Evangeline forced it down to the tune of the small chatter of the rest of the table. Bree and Tramy laughed with their friends and they playfully threw food at each other, but Evangeline didn't feel like joining in on the rabble rousing; she was still tired.

"So Oli, what have you been doing since we got discharged? Get a new unit?" Bree swiftly halted the conversation and everyone's attention snapped to her.

"Well actually no," Evangeline choked down her gruel, "I actually went back to Summerton to congratulate my sister on winning Queenstrial. She's going to be the new Queen of Norta with Ca-, well I guess now with Maven." A distasteful hiss went though the group.

"No offense to your sister, General Samos," a woman with short curly hair and a red sash around her neck spoke, "but she's so full of hot air I'm surprised she doesn't float away." A round of laughter followed. Evangeline bit her tongue. She had no clue how Oliverara would react to something like that!

Tramy leaned over the table towards her. "You okay? Usually you laugh it up at those kinds of jokes."

_Oh. That's how._

"Well yeah, but I-I'm uh not fully awake yet," Evangeline rubbed her eyes for effect. Tramy nodded, accepting her answer. She felt like a knife had been stabbed into her gut. Oli made jokes about her? Made fun of her? Laughed at her? _Don't cry don't cry, not here. _

"So," a burly officer who stunk of aftershave rose his voice over all the others, "you can kill a whole squad of us in the sewers, but because you're Red Command just decides 'screw our soldiers, bring in a killer!' Someone explain that to me." The table fell silent.

_Oli did what now? Dammit dammit dammit. _Evangeline scrambled for some kind of answer as their eyes watched her. She sucked in a breath. _Here it goes._ "I didn't, uh, have a choice. Following Shade on the, um, train was the only choice I've made for myself in years. If you want to hold the things I've done to stay alive against me, go for it. But I-I'm Red, and I'm here, and I'm very, very, done with Silvers telling me what to do." The man sat back, an annoyed look on his face. Bree fist bumped her shoulder and gave her a proud smile.

"Not to mention Oli killed 15 of the best soldiers from that new army crew. All of em just as bloody as our guys!" Trammy clapped his hands. "You really show them Silvers how Reds work girl!" A few of the other soldiers gave small 'yeahs' of approval. Evangeline dropped her fork on her plate; she wasn't hungry anymore.

As the din of the mess hall rose to a comfortable alert level the doors were flung open and a young soldier raced in. "We have a problem!" She yelled. The room instantly quieted, minus forks dropping onto metal plates. "Maven Calore has made a new announcement!" Quick hisses and grumbles echoed behind the statement. "He has created a new army made entirely of children from the Silver High Houses!"

The silence that fell over the room was different than any silence Evangeline had heard before. It was an awed silence, a deaf silence, a silence that chokes out all sound like some poisonous cloud. It was stifling. Crushing. It made her choke. Bit by bit the sound returned: in panic.

"What does this mean for us?"

"That Silver bastard is sending his own people to war!"

"Not just his people; children of his people!"

"They'll be stronger than the Silver's we've fought now."

"Are they even trained to fight?"

"No house will ever rebel now. He'll control their children!"

Evangeline had a million question spinning in her mind but one stood out strongly against the rest: Elane. What was going to happen to Elane? She was engaged to Tolly, Maven wouldn't send her to war, right? Surely another Haven child could go?

"We have the names of the ones who he called to the army!" The small soldier yelled again. Everyone's attention returned to her. She pulled a small scrap of paper out of her breast pocket. "Andros Eagrie, Oliver Laris, Rohr Rhambos, Atara Viper, Sonya Iral, Tirana Osanos, Heron Welle, Daniel Gliacon, Michel Tyros, and Elane Haven. Oh! And the leaders, General Ptolemus Samos and Colonel Ellyn McCanthos."

Every eye in the room found where Evangeline sat. They bore into her soul like gnats burrowing into fruit. If it weren't for the Red flesh Farley had painted on her face the Silver in her blood would have shown through clear as day. Every fiber in her body was on fire! Tolly _and_ Elane?! Maven was punishing her for going along with this charade by sending her brother and lover to war! And Ellyn, he was sending Ellyn too. Oli would have no one left n her side in that palace.

"Did you know about this?" Tramy whispered in her ear. She just shook her head. "C'mon guys Oliverara didn't know!" He rose his voice so it boomed through the mess hall. "Maven Calore is a psychopath and a nutjob! If we're fighting against some of the most powerful Silvers then it's a great thing to have the greatest magnetron to exist on our side!"

"How great will she be when her brother is on the front line?" A voice challenged. Some of the soldiers nodded.

"She'll do great!" Bree stood next to Tramy. "Oli here hates every one of those magnetron Silvers, she'll gladly put some metal through his brain!" He slapped her shoulder hard. "Right Oli?"

Again the eyes on her. _NO! _She wanted to scream. _No I won't kill my brother! I won't kill Elane! I can't kill Sonya or Rohr or Heron or any of them! I trained with Atara for years, I fought Michel twice and he still wanted a rematch, Ellyn's always been kind to me and Oli loves her, Tirana beat Maven and we laughed together at night. I can't fight them I don't want to! _"Y-yes, I will fight them." Her voice sounded small but the gleam in the Red's eyes told her otherwise. Smiles spread across the room.

"We'll win this one yet!" An excited cheer went up from the crowd. Evangeline felt like vomiting.

"Ya know what," Bree spoke again, "If you guys want to see exactly what you have on our side, why don't we have Oli give us a demonstration of her powers? A little training session of our own, right there on the hill!" Excited murmurs followed.

"Yeah that's great!" Tramy agreed. "Oli you can fight us! Show them all what a Red can really do!"

"Yeah," Evangeline squeaked out, "I can do that." The Barrow boys slapped each other on the back with proud grins. The mess hall went back to it's normal din as soldiers cleaned up and went to discussing what Command might do about the new mandate. Evangeline sat there as people passed by, giving her friendly shoulder bumps and pats on the back. _Dammit what am I gonna do now._

* * *

"Farley!" Evangeline charged into the infirmary. Where was that she-devil? "Farley!" She looked behind curtains and around corners but the woman was nowhere to be found. "I need help Farley c'mon!"

"Already running for help, you are really bad at this," Shade's voice popped up from behind a wall divider. Evangeline pulled it back to see him lounging comfortably in a bed. "Hey Samos how's it going?"

"Terrible! Bree and Tramy want to show everyone a demonstration of my power! I don't have the same kinds of abilities Oli does! She can fly, and manipulate from miles, and manipulate blood, and brains, and warp metal from just a single atom! Her hold is inescapable and she can pull land, air, and water to her beck and call! I just throw stuff and move things and break and build! She builds machines in an instant! Shade what am I supposed to do?"

He shrugged. "I have no clue. But she might." He pointed over Evangeline's shoulder to where Farley stood in the opening.

"Where have you been?" Evangeline yelled.

"Working."

"Well what am I, a hobby?"

"Sadly, no. Otherwise I could drop and leave you, but Command needs your presence. Now stop whining and let's get to work."


	11. Lie To Me

**Lie To Me**

"Back! Front! Swipe! No, no! You need to focus! You won't kill any Reds out there with moves like that!" Ptolemus walked around the room and the lines of Silver children. "This is not fun, 'everybody walks away in the end', training. This is a war! You're going to kill people out there!" All wore black and silver training suits; their house colors not to be seen. Maven had stripped them of even that pride. They were no longer heirs; they were just bodies.

"You need to aim for weak spots; eyes, throats, knees; places hard to defend. Now is the time for the dirty tricks you play on each other during training." Ellyn stood against the far wall, her military leadership proving useful. Oliverara was terrified for her. The Reds had already taken shots at her in what was supposed to be a safe place; what would they do when she was on the battlefield?

"Lady Evangeline? Do you have anything to add for the army's training?" Ptolemus spoke to her from across the room.

"Oh please," Oliverara laughed. "What do I know about war?" A few of the Silvers smiled. Elane caught her eye. Oliverara turned away. Sonya was trying to catch her gaze too but she refused. She could not help them, Maven was on his warpath already.

"Again!" Ptolemus ordered. The group started again. "Front!"

_"Up! Down! Up! There are Silvers out there who will kill one of you in seconds! Down!" The generals wandered past the lines of them. Reds upon Reds kneeling in mud and shit while rain poured down their backs. "Up! Down!" Their last meal was yesterday. _

_"You okay Olive?" A voice whispered in her ear. She couldn't answer. The pressure keeping her frail arms from breaking was too much to think about anything else. The voice receded. The training continued._

Oliverara blinked her eyes quickly. She couldn't watch anymore. This was too much. She turned and left the training room, the smell of mud sticking to the roof of her mouth. The hall was silent minus the servants walking by. They curtsied to her respectfully but nothing more. Evangeline was very much not liked in Whitefire.

The door to the training room creaked open again. Oliverara glanced back over her shoulder. Dammit, it was Ellyn. She had followed her out like the curious little soldier that she was. Oliverara used to admire that, but now it just made her scared. Ellyn's curiosity would just get her killed here. Oliverara wanted to tell her to go back to training; to leave her alone to her thoughts, but wow did she look beautiful in the light of Whitefire. The sun shining through the stained windows to leave multi-colored marks on her face. The scar running down her face looked like a line of light streaked across an angel's wing. She was angelic. Oliverara wanted to kiss her. Wanted to curl up in her arms like she had done so often in their barracks in the Choke. Wanted to run her fingers along her soft buzz cut. Now Ellyn was letting it longer, a few small curls peeking up. She'd shave it again soon.

"Lady Evangeline, are you okay?" Ellyn asked.

Oliverara blinked quickly and snapped out of her daze. "Yes Colonel Macanthos I'm fine. Just not a fan of my friends having to go fight some reckless Reds," Oliverara smiled thinly. Ellyn came a bit closer to her, her eyes boring into hers. Damn, her gaze was mesmerizing. So tranquil and soft. Oliverara felt herself melting yet again. _Stop stop stop!_

Ellyn cocked her head. "Yes of course Lady Evangeline, but-"

"Please Colonel Macanthos, you and my sister were so close. You can just call me Evangeline."

"I would think you'd hate any mention of your sister. Seeing as she's exposed herself as a Red rebel."

Oliverara nodded stiffly. "She's still my sister. I still love her, no matter how much she has hurt me. Don't you agree?"

Ellyn paused. Her eyes were staring straight at Oliverara's own. Ellyn stepped closer so their skin was merely centimeters apart. "I agree that when two people are very close to each other that keeping secrets is more harmful than the consequences of telling them."

"Well then we have had very different life experiences."

Ellyn's eyes narrowed. Oliverara's heart was practically beating out of her chest. She wiped the sweat off her hands and onto her dress. Ellyn brought up her hand and reached for Oliverara's arm. She jerked her arm back quickly and broke their gaze. The heels on her feet made her stumble a bit as she backed up down the hall.

"Do not touch me, please," she whispered.

Ellyn shook her head. "Tell me the truth then! There's something going on with the Samos family and you are not Evangeline!"

Oliverara swore her heart stopped. The cameras in the hall all swiveled, she felt their metal hinges turn. Eyes from every corner focused on them. _Do something! __They'll kill her if you don't do something! _

Oliverara came back towards Ellyn and took her by her shoulders. "Ellyn I understand that you've been through a lot in the past few days. You lost my sister who you were so close to, you lost your king who you served for many years, and now you must lead a new army to potentially kill people you care deeply for. You are not the only one who has suffered from these though. Ptolemus and I as well as our parents are reeling just as much. I lost my betrothed and now must marry a boy who is struggling to run a fractured kingdom. Ptolemus has had greatness thrust upon him at a time of grief, and must lead people he's grown up with to war. I'm sorry if we are not the same people we have always appeared to be, but no one is hiding anything. No one is trying to cover up things. We're all struggling in these times. You must believe me Colonel. You must understand." Oliverara took a deep breath as Ellyn's steely gaze refused to waver. Then she sighed and looked away.

"I'm sorry Evangeline. You're right. I miss Oliverara so much, Red or not, she's the best thing that ever happened in my life. I want her back so badly. I-" Ellyn shook her head. "That's not appropriate," she laughed. "You have more important things to think about. And so do I. Like training my army." She backed away from Oliverara, smiled at her once more, and went back into the training room.

Oliverara dropped against the wall. She didn't care about the cameras still watching her. Elara would wipe the memory of the guards behind them anyway. So Oliverara cried right there in the hall of Whitefire. Sobbing into the sleeves of the shawl she wore to hide her muscled arms. Ellyn had reached for her for a reason. To feel how strong she was. Evangeline would have thin lady arms. Oliverara's were bigger; more prominent from years of weight lifting. Her whole body was larger than Evangeline's. The body shaper Elara had forced her into this morning hid her wide torso and broad shoulders by painfully crushing them down. Her dresses were long and flowed to the floor to hide the legs she refused to shave and the calves that were hardened from years of hiking and running. Everything about her screamed Oliverara. She wanted to scream that she was Oliverara.

"But if you do I'll have to kill everyone in that room. We wouldn't want to do that now would we?" Elara stepped around the corner. Her piercing voice rattled Oliverara's body. "Granted that could just embolden the Silvers and High Houses. Their kids all dead by the Scarlet Guard would definitely earn us more of their loyalty." She laughed. "I could just do it that way anyway!"

"You're a bitch Elara," Oliverara growled.

"And you're a Red. Who do you think the people would respect more?"

Oliverara put her head back down into her arms. She was so done with Elara throwing her blood color back in her face. She knew what she was! She knew exactly what people thought of her!

"Yes but it's so much fun to point it out," Elara chuckled.

"Stop reading my thoughts!"

"Well stop thinking so loudly then." Elara passed her to go to the training room. "Fine job with Colonel Macanthos. A quick save on your part. I was getting ready to order her execution. Although that would have been another great way to fire up the citizens. You do like to ruin my plans don't you Red?"

"It's what I live for."

"Ha. Oh and you'll be happy to hear that the army's first assignment is not to fight your sister or the Scarlet Guard."

"How comforting," Oliverara sniffed.

"We need to beat the Scarlet Guard yes, but first we need to take away their confidence. My Maven happily gave me the names of Julian's Red freak records. A bit torn yes, missing a few names. You wouldn't happen to know those two; would you?"

Oliverara shook her head weakly. But it was no use, Elara was already inside her head wiggling around. The Summerton palace came into view. Julian's study filled with books and dust. Mare walking out, Oliverara walking in. The feel of Julian's mind as she shut off his neurons. Paper in her hand. Ink in her vision. Names.

"Shade Barrow and Olive Samo. Ah what a nice pseudonym you had. So much easier to say than the mouthful of a name your parents gave you. And you knew that Shade Barrow was a Red freak like his sister?"

"Of course," Oliverara coughed. "You really think we didn't know everything about each other? Him and his brothers knew everything about me, my family, and my powers. And I knew about them. Evie won't be able to pretend to be me around them for long. They'll find out I'm still here and they'll come for me. You know that right Elara? You know they'll come back for me."

Elara glared at her. "Jacos made it sound like you never knew about Shade. And when you were in Summerton you even thought as though they knew anything about you."

Oliverara laughed. "It took awhile to force my thoughts to go a different way. A few days of practicing. Almost fully convinced myself I had never known. I never intended to walk into a place run by a Whisper with my real thoughts on display. I'm not that dumb Elara."

The queen just shrugged. "And yet look at the trap you've woven for yourself. You give yourself too much credit Red," she smiled at Oliverara's crumbled frame one last time. "You forget that the queen always wins." Then she turned and entered the training room. Oliverara just sat on the floor thinking. About Shade. About her time in the army as Olive Samo. Then as a General. Always with her boys. Always. And now her sister was safe with the Scarlet Guard and she was here alone. Tolly would leave to command an army, Ellyn with him. And Oliverara would be alone in Whitefire with Maven and Elara. She cried again, not caring who saw or heard.

* * *

_She's not Oliverara. Stop thinking about it, she's not! She told you she's not. But she could be lying. She could be trying to protect me, like always. She always thought she was str-no stop! She's Evangeline! That hug at the casket, the looks, the words, it's just Evangeline. She's grieving. Her sister ran off to the Scarlet Guard, her brother is leading a new army, and her lover is going to war. Evangeline has reason to act strange. If it was really Oli she wouldn't have said we were just 'close'. Ever since the shooting at Summerton Evangeline has known that Oli and I are partners; it's completely normal that she use language like that. She's used to hiding her own illegal transgressions. Oli knows our code words. She would have used them instead of just saying we were 'close'. Oliverara is with the Scarlet Guard now. _

Ellyn rubbed her head. Everything hurt. She couldn't sleep at night. Not with such an empty space in bed next to her. Even when Oli went out drinking all night she still came back at some point. Ellyn still woke up next to her. She still kept expecting to find her passed out in the bathroom. Or laying on the floor. Or waiting for her out in the training yard. She missed her. She missed her drinking, her nightmares, her murderous attitude, her family troubles, hell she even missed the times they argued. Everything about Oliverara made her happy. Even at her worst Oli was still her favorite person. Even after she killed that poor Red boy just for seeing them in the Summerton palace balcony. She still loved her.

The doors opened and in stepped the queen herself. "General Samos. Colonel Macanthos. Your army is looking fine." Queen Elara approached her and Ptolemus. Her eyes scanned over the Silvers standing in their uniforms. They all bowed to her. So did Ptolemus and Ellyn. "I have your first assignment. The Scarlet Guard has some Red assets hidden all over Norta and we need them dead before they can give the Rats anymore information." She handed them a paper.

**Nix Marsten**

**Coraunt**

**Outside Harbor Bay**

"Is this our first target?" Ptolemus asked.

The queen nodded. "Yes. We need him dead."

"Then dead he'll be."


	12. Magic Metal Girl

**Magic Metal Girl**

Evangeline paced the mostly empty field impatiently. Whatever plan Farley had had to happen soon or she was never going to pass as Oliverara to the expert Barrow boys. Any other Red could be fooled and awed by her abilities, but Bree and Tramy knew what Oli could do. Evangeline couldn't compare to that. A few interested Reds that lived on the base were idling around. Even a couple guards appeared interested. The wait was making Evangeline nervous. She curled and uncurled a chain on her wrist a few times and the Reds nearby watched the movement with wide eyes. They'd probably never seen a Silver power used for anything but violence before. It was really too bad they couldn't watch Oli at work. She could fly through the air, build large metallic structures, and conjure beautiful creatures from metal that came to life under her fingertips. These people would never look at a Silver power the same way again.

_No, they'd never look at a Red freak the same way again. They would no longer fear Mare or Shade or any others, but worship them. Oliverara is no Silver, and the Reds will still fear us no matter how brave they think they are. That's why the system works. But the only thing stronger than fear is reverence. _

Evangeline couldn't help it! All the conflicting thoughts in her mind made it so hard to think. Did she support Reds or Silvers? Did she love or hate her sister? Did she fear or respect her? Did she fear or respect the system, and Maven, and Elara? Evangeline without a second thought flung the chain across the field till it hit a barracks and cemented itself to the wall. The onlookers stepped backwards away from her. _At least I can make them fear _me_. _

"Practicing Oli?" Tramy and Bree appeared on the hill with wise ass smirks on their faces. "All for us?"

Evangeline smirked back "Just having fun boys." She unfurled another chain from her belt and wrapped it around her wrist like a bracelet. Oli had taught her how to do that when they were younger. The boys split up and each circled her on opposite sides like predators circling prey. Evangeline scanned the crowd for Farley but found nothing. Where was she?

Bree came at her first. He barreled towards her and narrowly missed her shoulder. Evangeline threw her chain and tangled it around his ankles. He fell over and rolled down the hill. Tramy snickered.

"That all you got Oli? Chain tricks? How childish," Tramy stalked around her. More people had joined to watch and now Evangeline could feel the pressure increase. Tramy charged her this time and instead of dodging Evangeline chose a different path. She jumped over and off his back, landing on the grass as Tramy fell off balance and rolled to the side.

Bree came back up the hill holding the chain in his hand. "I was actually prepared for you to throw me that time," he smiled. Evangeline called the chain to her from his hands and wrapped it around her hand.

"I felt like giving you a surprise." She twirled the chain some more but neither boy looked impressed. _They're expecting me to throw them or fly or something! Where'__s Farley? Where's Mare or Shade? Where's anyone to help me?!_

Both boys geared up to charge her again. Evangeline felt out but they weren't wearing anything metal on them. So no way to push them back or hold them off; unless she _put_ metal on them without them knowing. As Evangeline watched their feet she slowly slid two metal clips off her uniform and along the ground to their shoes. The clips locked on their heels right as Tramy leaped at her. She pulled the clip and his feet fell to the ground with a thump. He coughed out grass as Evangeline held Bree's clip so his body never moved. Now they were grinning from ear to ear, and more Reds had joined to watch in awe. Evangeline was actually starting to feel more confident about this whole exercise when someone started shouting her name from the crowd.

"Samos! Hey Samos!" Kilorn was jumping up and down; waving his arms like an idiot.

"I'm busy!" Evangeline snapped.

"Farley and Mare need your help with some, uh, planning things," Kilorn stammered a she pushed through the people.

"I don't care Katron."

Kilorn grabbed her shoulder as he was pushed from the clamored Reds. "First, it's Kilorn," he snapped "and second, they _really_ need your help." He leaned closer to her. "The Colonel has Mare imprisoned with your Silver husband, so I'd recommend you come with me," Kilorn hissed in her ear.

Evangeline quickly excused herself and released the clips on Bree and Tramy before following Kilorn down the hill and to one of the many barracks. "First," Evangeline glared at him, "Cal is _not_ my husband. I don't even _like_ him! Second, what do you mean they're imprisoned? What did they do?"

"Exist," Kilorn sighed. "Mare wanted to break into the Colonel's office but when things went south I pretended to catch her and throw her in a cell with the fire dude. Then the Colonel went nuts and has ordered Farley arrested because she wants to try and find more Reds with powers. So I have to fake her capture." He pulled out a box of syringes. He held one up to the sunlight. The liquid inside wasn't milky like the others, but clear. It was nothing more than water. "And you're gonna help me pull this off."

"Pull what off?"

"Once the Colonel thinks Farley isn't a problem anymore I'll put the real syringe in him and then Shade's gonna get us all out of here, but in case things go sideways I need you to pull some Silver magic and take him out."

"What makes you think he won't imprison me too? If he's just throwing people in jail what's to stop him from throwing _me_ in a cell?"

Kilorn laughed. "Because he thinks you're Oliverara. He wouldn't make you angry then throw you in a useless cell. He's not stupid, trust me."

Evangeline grabbed his shoulder and spun around in front of him. "Okay, lay this out for me again, and this time don't lie to me. What does the Colonel want with my sister that's SO important he'd overlook his own fears?" Kilorn averted his eyes down to his shoes. Evangeline grabbed his chin and twisted his head back up. "Spit it out Cilantro," she growled.

"Again, it's Kilorn. But I'm not cleared to know that information about your sister."

"But you do, because you're friends with Mare Barrow, who managed to hide her Red blood from the entire Silver elite while aiding a rebellion." Evangeline leaned closer to his face. "And you know Shade Barrow, who hid his powers from the entire army and faked his own death well enough to fool every Silver. I'm betting you know how to find out some information in a place so simple as this." She smiled as Kilorn just nodded.

"I tend to overhear some things when assisting the Colonel," he admitted. "And I know that after Shade and Farley informed him about Oliverara returning from the war front he was determined to get his hands on her. There's a prison somewhere in Norta, and I swear I truly don't know where, that holds Silvers who have betrayed the crown. It's made entirely of Silent Stone to keep them pliant and-"

"Why would the Colonel want to help Silvers?" Evangeline interrupted. "Just to piss off the crown?"

Kilorn sucked in a breath through his teeth. "No, he doesn't want to help Silvers; he wants to prove the Scarlet Guard's strength. If we had a member who could destroy a Silent Stone prison and release every convict then Norta couldn't deny how powerful we are. We'd finally be a force to be reckoned with!" Kilorn was grinning like a madman the whole time and Evangeline slowly backed away from him.

"My sister isn't that strong. No one can destroy Silent Stone," Evangeline snapped. "Your Colonel _is_ an idiot." She turned and kept walking towards the barracks.

"That's not what Shade says!" Kilorn yelled. "He says your sister is the only person alive who can break Silent Stone!"

"That's a lie!"

Kilorn just shook his head. The smug smile on his face was begging to get punched but Evangeline refrained. Oliverara, warping under Silent Stone? Breaking it? Impossible. _More impossible than a Red being born to a Silver? _Evangeline cast the voice from her mind. There was no way. There was absolutely no way Oliverara could do that. Right?

* * *

She had to admit, Farley could put on a mighty good show of being taken against her will. The bruises and scratches on the guards trying to handle her proved that. Kilorn followed behind with his fake syringe and Evangeline behind him, twirling her chain around her arm. The underground prison was eerie with low humming lights and glass windows highlighting the insides of cells. One in particular had red and silver blood spatter on it. Inside, lounging on twin chairs, were Cal and Mare. They were trying to look tough, but they just looked like tired kids in a cage. Their eyes went wild when they saw Farley's performance, and Mare started beating on the glass as Kilorn injected the fake syringe into her neck. Farley passed out easily and lay limp in her cell. Kilorn slipped the real syringe into his hand under his jacket as the Colonel opened the cell with Cal and Mare inside. The man looked proud of himself. _Idiot. _

The Colonel walked easily into the cell, his Red blood under no effect of the Silent Stone. Kilorn followed him just as easily. Evangeline sucked in a deep breath and entered the crushing presence. Her bones cried out under the density of the stones. Their glowing light made her eyes burn and her skin crawl. They were embedded in every corner, looking down on the occupants. Sucking the soul, the breath, from whoever entered. Her hand twitched as the chain fell limp at her side. Her powers were gone. She wrapped it manually around her arm to appear like she was still powerful. Mare and Cal were both watching her and Kilorn in shock. Mare looked like she wanted to electrocute everyone and everything she possibly could. Cal just looked done with trying to fight.

"Maven has offered us a proposition," the Colonel began, "he will put the age of conscription back to where it was and disband his new Silver elite army. If and only if, we give him you." He pointed at Cal.

"He'll be executed!" Mare roared. She leaped from her seat, looking ready to charge the Colonel, but stopped as Kilorn waved one of the syringes in the air. She stood still; her body shaking with rage.

"That is none of my concern," the Colonel continued. "My concern is for the children who will be sent to die on the front lines, and for those elite Silvers Maven is currently marching against us."

"He'll kill me and still march his armies and kill those kids," Cal spoke. "He has no respect for deals or allegiances. You are playing into his hands."

"It is too great a risk to not give you up, and if he is lying we'll just be right back here, but without a Silver liability locked in our basement." The Colonel scanned both Mare and Cal. "But Maven has also made another request." The Colonel took a deep breath and Evangeline swore he looked, almost, _scared_. "He said he will stop executing Reds and he'll relax current investigations into the Scarlet Guard's whereabouts if we give him-" the Colonel paused. Evangeline felt her stomach twist. It had to be Mare. Maven was such a sick freak he would even disappoint his country just to have her back?

"Give him who?" Mare's voice sounded small. She knew exactly who the Colonel meant.

"Oliverara."

Evangeline never stabbed someone so fast in her life. The knife was out of her pocket and against the Colonel's neck in seconds as his body crashed against the wall. His one good eye was wide with fear. She was panting from the exertion under the Silent Stone but her nerves were alive. Maven would kill her sister and keep her chained forever as his puppet!

"You will not send me back to him," she hissed. The Colonel looked terrified but his body gave out and he dropped limp to the floor. A syringe was sticking out of his leg.

"Well that was one way to do it," Kilorn said, stepping back from the body.

Evangeline rounded on him now. "Did you know about this?" She screamed. He shook his head quickly but Evangeline slit his cheek with her knife anyway. Farley was leaning against the glass of her cell with a grin.

"You really do got some spunk in you Samos," she joked as Evangeline unlocked her door.

"I just want to protect my sister."

Shade suddenly jumped right next to her with a crutch under his arm. "Everyone ready to go?"

Mare ran to him and threw her arms around him in a hug. "What do you mean go? Where are we going?"

"The Colonel doesn't care about any others out there like you and Shade and Oliverara," Farley answered. "But Maven will care. He'll kill all of them, so we need to get there first." She smiled. "Ready to escape again?"

Everyone took hold of Shade and suddenly they were outside. Guards were running from other barracks but they jumped again to another roadway. Then again to a grassy meadow. Then again to a flat black road. A runway! Then at last inside a hangar with two Silver planes inside. Evangeline gasped, the missing jets! The Scarlet Guard had stolen _jets_?! Shade collapsed on the ground panting and heaving. "We're here," he choked.

Farley pulled open the hatch on one of the jets. Sounds of footsteps in the distance reminded everyone how urgent it was that they leave. The inside of the jet was cold and dark; no energy pulsed through the batteries. "Mare do you think you can start this thing?" Cal asked as he took a seat in the pilot's chair. Mare nodded and started fishing through wires looking for one to spark. Evangeline watched as Farley and Kilorn helped Shade into a seat. She felt so useless; a feeling she wasn't used to having.

"Don't just stand there Samos," Farley snapped, "open up that hangar door so we can get out of here!" Evangeline was going to say something smart back but the whole jet shook as it roared to life. Mare let out an excited cheer as her energy flowed through the machine. Now for that damn door.

Evangeline felt for the metal hinges, but an electronic lock held them in place. The old fashioned way then. Evangeline pushed with all her energy and blew the doors clean out of the hangar. They flew right into the horde of guards charging for them. "Now Calore!" She yelled. Cal gunned the engines and the jet took off across the blacktop. Metal crushed underneath the wheels before the plane soared above the island and into the clouds. Evangeline fell into one of the seats as the wind jostled the plane, but Cal evened them out in no time.

It was silent for a few moments before Kilorn spoke: "Now what?"


	13. Watchtower

**Watchtower**

Evangeline and the others stepped over wet mossy ground on their approach towards the sleeping Red town. Cal huffed under his breath and his anger made the leaves touching him smolder off. _Suck it up Calore, _Evangeline wanted to gripe. _We could've left you rotting in that cell or sent back to your maniac brother, but we chose to bring you with us. _She said nothing though, because the last thing she wanted to do was light the fuse underneath a flaming fire prince. Whatever Mare had said to him back at the plane must have been a showstopper for him to stay. After trekking through mud and trees they came to a silently flowing river. The water was black and bubbled with hatred for their journey. _It's a river Evangeline. __When did I get so deep with this crap? _Kilorn and Mare happily swam across, their poverty stricken roots used to swimming through muck and ruin. Cal and her on the other hand were royalty, and would not be degraded to such levels of impurity. That was Evangeline's thoughts at least, until Cal stepped into the smooth water.

"Cal what are you doing?" Evangeline snapped. "I thought you hated water?"

Kilorn was snickering on the other bank. "Whats the matter Calore? You can fly a jet but can't swim?"

"I can swim!" Cal snapped gruffly. His deep voice echoed off the large oak trees around them. Mare, Shade, and Farley all flinched at the sound. "I just don't like to," Cal said, this time a bit quieter. Evangeline had to laugh now too.

"Of course the burner is scared of water," she laughed. Cal turned on her and grabbed her by the sleeve of the uniform.

"And I guess the magnetron liar can swim just as well as any of us?" He growled. "Or did the future queen never need to be concerned with getting wet?"

Evangeline yanked her arm away from his touch. "I know plenty well how to swim!" The eyes of the rest of their group were all focused on her now. _Great now I actually have to. _

Evangeline stepped into the water. The boots on her feet thankfully kept them dry, but the rest of her body shivered from the cold. How did people do this?! She continued wading in deeper and deeper until the water touched her stomach and she jumped back. Her body hit Cal who was right behind her. "Cal!" She shrieked as his heat burned her back. He pushed her forward, desperate to be out of the water. Evangeline's skin was turning numb under the rushing feel of the water and soon her feet had nothing to stand on. Her arms paddled briskly with panic underneath until she reached the muddy banks of the next shore. Cal followed quickly behind her and they scrabbled over each other up to the grass. Kilorn and Mare were clearly enjoying themselves. Evangeline was panting and quickly went to work ringing out the uniform. Cal's hair was plastered to his eyes but his trembling hands couldn't push it away. Mare stepped forward and smoothed it back, trying to make the sniveling puppy look more like a man.

"Get a room you two," Evangeline hissed.

Shade and Farley simply teleported over the river like the geniuses they were.

* * *

The town of Courant was quiet and still. So were the two roads that crossed next to it. Even the watchtower, though alive with a broad sweeping light, still seemed calm and lazy. The perfect place to sneak in and not be given a second glance. Unless you were the runaway crown prince and a treasonous lightning freak. Or a general now revealed to be another one of the newblooded weirdos. Evangeline sighed. Of all the times she wished to be like Oliverara, of course it came true _now_.

"Shade and I will go down into the town and find Mr Marsten," Farley said. "No one will give us a second look if spotted. I'm from the Lakelands and everyone thinks Shade's dead."

Kilorn pointed to a grove of tall trees and marsh. "We'll meet you guys over there." Farley and Shade disappeared from view and the group trekked over to the wooded area. The shadows hid them well and they'd be practically invisible, if it weren't for Cal's obnoxious tramping.

"Make a little more noise Cal," Evangeline hissed, "I don't think Maven and Elara can hear you back in Archeon yet." Cal bristled at their names but Evangeline shrugged by him without a care. If he wanted to be a sulky baby then Evangeline would treat him like one.

Once in the clearing all four of them sat in silence. Kilorn was busy weaving grass together, Mare was pacing silently across the grass, and Cal was fighting the urge to play with his flames. Evangeline was content to watch them, her own inner demons twisting for some kind of metal to latch onto. There was sadly nothing but grass and trees.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Cal finally asked. His whispered words floated to Mare. She looked at him like he'd insulted her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what if he doesn't want to join us? What if he's too old, or too weak, or doesn't have a power we can use? What then?"

"We leave."

Cal's mouth dropped. "You must be joking."

Mare shook her head. "We give him a choice. Either come with us for protection and training, or stay here and die when Maven's forces come for him. He'll decide which he wants."

Kilorn shook his head. "Why bother giving him a choice? We need him and we can make him come with us whether he wants to or not."

Mare glared at him. "Because nobody ever gave _me_ a choice."

Evangeline felt a bit bad for Mare as an awkward silence fell over the grove. She knew what it was like to not be allowed to decide your own future. Her parents had stolen every choice she could possibly make for herself from her. The choice of who she should be, how she should live, who she could love, who she could be around, whether or not she could meet her sister, how to train, when to train, how to sit, how to talk, how to act, how to breathe, _everything_ had been their rules. Evangeline dug her shortened nails into her palm but no mark was left. She couldn't even feel the sweet release of pain.

The bushes rattled and Farley pushed through with Shade and a short well built man behind them. Kilorn grabbed Mare and Cal and whisked them deeper into the shadows. Evangeline followed. They were too well known to just be showing their faces to everyone.

"Did you have any trouble?" Kilorn asked. He was trying to sound important, like he was much older than just a little boy.

Farley didn't let him get away with it though. She waved off his question in annoyance. "Simple. Even with this one limping around." Her jab at Shade made Evangeline smile a bit. Then she motioned to Nix who stood behind her. "He didn't put up a fight either."

The newblood shuffled in the darkness. "Well, I'm not stupid am I? You're the Scarlet Guard. The officers would string me up for having you in my house. Even uninvited."

Evangeline felt Mare stiffen next to her. "He would be dead as well if we hadn't come Barrow," Evangeline assured her. Mare just nodded.

"Now Mr Marsten," Shade began.

"It's Nix," he interrupted. "But I think you already knew that." His eyes watch us in the dark, knowing that there's faces just beyond his sight. Cal looked uncomfortable under the gaze but Mare spoke.

"There's something different about you Nix," she says. "Something very special. You know it, you've always known it. Sometimes it makes you feel wrong, it makes you feel different." The man's eyes soften and he nods. He understands what Mare is saying.

The sound of gunfire cuts off whatever words she was about to say next.

Bullets rain down from the trees as flashes of light send the watchtower beam shining directly on their grove. Farley curses. Kilorn ducks down to the ground. Nix dashes into the brush and disappears. Running feet approach the clearing as Cal grabs Mare and takes off in the other direction. Kilorn follows behind them leaving Shade, Farley, and Evangeline in the grove as the new Silver army crashes through the tall grass. Ptolemus looks striking in his new uniform with his name embellished along the front. His face on the other hand remains stern and steady, even as his eyes settle on Evangeline. Ellyn is next to him, her gun at the ready. The small twinge of her lips at the sight of Evangeline tells her Ellyn still thinks she's Oliverara.

"Stand down and surrender," Ptolemus orders, raising his gun. The other Silvers in his group raise their hands, their weapons brewing under their skin. They look scared. Not of Shade who can barley stand on his own, not of Farley who they could kill in a second, not of the land and shadows around them, but of Evangeline's lies. They believe she is Oliverara, the strongest magnetron who has never lost a battle and never spared a life. They fear her power. But not Ptolemus, he knows her truth. And he does not look like the brother she left at Whitefire just days before. He looks angry, tired, and without any love for her.

"Let us go Tolly," Evangeline orders back. Her gruff Oliverara voice coming more naturally each day. "We know it's not us you want."

"You're wrong sister." Ptolemus comes closer, never lowering his weapon. "You're exactly who we want." He stops within inches of her, his finger on the trigger. Evangeline smiles. Who would get this close to a magnetron with metal bullets?

"Thank you," she whispers.

"Be safe," he mouths back. Evangeline pulls the bullets out of his gun and flings them into his crowd of soldiers. They scatter in terror as the metal cuts through their flesh. Ellyn doesn't move. Ptolemus gives Evangeline a quick hit of the shoulder before running after his team, shooting extra bullets through the air to keep them running wild into the darkness. Their fear would keep them going long enough before they remembered they were Silvers, not scared little Reds.

"C'mon we have to go," Shade says as Farley and him disappear into the bushes. Evangeline goes to follow when a hand catches her arm. Ellyn stands there, tears in her eyes, a longing look on her face.

"Oli please, don't keep running," she begs. "Come back to Archeon, let's sort this out. Please sweetheart, I don't want to lose you for good." Evangeline felt her heart speed up. She didn't want to hurt Ellyn, not when she knew how much she loved her sister. But Ellyn would be in too much danger if she knew the truth, and Evangeline would never forgive herself if Oli lost her lover because of her.

"I'm sorry," was all Evangeline said before slipping out of Ellyn's grasp and off into the bushes. She could hear Ellyn sobbing behind her as the tall grass pushed them apart.

Farley and Shade were at a bend in the two roads. Cal, Kilorn, and Mare were sheepishly standing against the trees as Farley fumed at them for running off. Well, actually, she was fuming at Kilorn.

"This is not an every man for himself operation Warren!" She hissed. "We don't just flee whenever the notion suits us! Did you have any intention of coming back? Or were you just protecting yourself?" Kilorn hung his head without speaking. Farley seethed and punched a dip in a nearby tree.

"We have to find Nix," Mare spoke up. "They're after him!" She pointed to the distance where gunshots and abilities sounded from.

"We don't even know what he is," Cal said. "He could very well be able to defend himself."

"But we don't know that!" Mare yelled. "We can't just abandon a newblood to save our own skins!" She turned to Farley. "We need to go back!" Farley sighed and rubbed her head, thinking. More bullets and loud shouting came down from the woods. Then everything went quiet. The light from the watchtower hadn't moved yet. Evangeline felt a stone sinking in her gut.

Mare took off without warning. Cal and Kilorn went right behind her. Shade's hand wrapped around Evangeline's wrist and suddenly they were back in the clearing. A body lay off behind a tree and Evangeline's gut twisted. She went over and pulled the small body of Michel Tyros out of the grass. The bullet in his head never let the poor mimic stand a chance. Mare and the boys burst out of the grasses, but Evangeline shook her head before Mare could flip her lid. "It's not him," she said.

"Why hasn't that light moved?" Farley asked. The town below was awake, lights on and people out looking for the source of the commotion. Guards were marching down the streets barking orders at people to get back in their houses. The light of the watchtower was stagnant though. Like it was displaying whatever had been caught in its gaze. The group moved a couple feet through the brush to where the light shone. There, for all of Courant to see, hanging from a tree, was the body of Nix Marsten.


	14. Stand In

**Stand In**

"So Lady Evangeline, how's preparations for the big day coming along?" The cheery, and frankly cheesy, reporter grinned at Oliverara from across the room. Maven and Elara had hustled her into doing an interview for the Silver public about the upcoming wedding between her and Maven. Of course, it was all a big distraction while Maven sent his new army out to slaughter innocent people. Ptolemus, Ellyn and the others had left the day before for their first assignment and Oliverara's gut had been churning with worry. Tolly wouldn't actually bring Evie and the others in would he? Would he bargain for the Scarlet Guard rebels and let Evie, what? Run away? Come back? Switch places _again_? Oliverara had worked up a headache just thinking about it. This faux interview was the last thing she wanted to be doing, but worrying herself sick wasn't benefiting anything. If Maven felt like she was playing along he'd let her in the loop more so, until she found a way out. Where she would go, she had no clue. The Prairies were a wild place with outlaws galore. No one would question her there! Maybe she could even convince Ellyn to run off with her. _Ellyn_...

"Lady Evangeline?" Oliverara snapped back to attention.

"Of course everything is running smoothly!" She grinned back. "Maven and I have been busy busy busy doing all sorts of planning and decision making!" The reporter fake swooned at her words. Oliverara wanted to barf.

"Despite all of the horrible problems Norta has faced you have been so strong in your demeanor," the reporter continued. "You've switched betrothed's, you've seen your sister demonized on live TV, you've watched your brother and friends march off to war, and yet you still are planning a wedding!" The reporter gasped loudly. "Such an inspiration you are Lady Evangeline!"

_Thanks for the recap of my past couple days, _Oliverara seethed. She was on her last straw with these people. Not to mention the dress she was in kept cutting at her thighs, and the last thing she needed was red blood running down her legs. She could barely sit right, let alone walk! She'd had to wobble on her toes to get around and her legs were awkwardly crunched together while sitting. She felt like she was in one of those disgusting etiquette classes.

"So what are your plans once you're officially the next queen of Norta? Any big changes coming our way? Will we be expecting any new heirs soon after the big day?" The reporter winked and Oliverara dug her nails into the chair to keep from visible gagging. Letting Maven touch her!? Not in any nation, not in any world, not in any time!

"We will let fate decide that," Oliverara spat out. The reporter seemed pleased with that response. The next ten minutes were nothing but tedious questions about her outfits, and her hair, and her brother's and Elane's wedding plans now that they both were off to fight. Oliverara took each one with a smile but her grip on the chair got tighter and tighter every passing second. Before she could break the whole arm off, the cameraman called a break and Oliverara rushed as fast as her dress would allow to find a safe corner to hide in.

"You don't do well in front of a camera Oli." Maven materialized next to her with a grin. Oliverara's blood boiled under her skin.

"Do not call me Oli," she hissed. "That name is for people I like."

Maven held his hand to his chest with fake pain. "Oh you do hurt my feelings!" Oliverara pushed him out of her way and kept walking. "I do need to talk to you about something quite urgent," he called.

"I'm not interested Maven!"

"C'mon, one warrior to another!"

Oliverara paused and a laugh bubbled in the back of her throat. "_You_? A _warrior_?" Now the laugh fully burst from her mouth. "Maven, you're scared of your own shadow! You fear the corners that you can't see! For bloods sake, you built a throne out of Silent Stone because you fear your own people! You are a paranoid, crazed, power hungry, lunatic!" She jabbed her finger against his chest. Maven just watched her, the tremble in his chin betraying the nerves she had struck.

"Well you're not as brave as you claim either rat." Now it was his turn. "You hide your emotions from all around you. You drink to make yourself seem strong. You train in front of people and destroy things in anger so they fear you before they can think to cross you. You flaunt those medals and badges and that kill count so people look up to you instead of down at you!" Maven leaned closer and his breath left goosebumps on her skin. "You're terrified of yourself rat. You're scared of your blood, your sexuality, your powers, your past, your mind, even your family! Tell me Samos, what aren't you scared of?"

Oliverara's hand struck cold skin before her brain even thought to do it. Maven's cold eyes widened as his silver blood turned the print gray. A perfect slap. Oliverara was ready to do it again, give the other side the same treatment, when a squeal went through her head. Oliverara's eyes watered and slow tears ran down her face. Maven's smile was all she could see through her lidded eyes. It got higher and higher, and she wondered how she was shrinking, until her knees hit the ground.

"Who's looking up to who now?"

* * *

Oliverara woke up back in Whitefire. She was just laying on the bed; her disgusting dress still clinging to her body. _Screw you Maven. _She thought. After clawing her way out of the dress of the damned, Oliverara stood in the center of the room. She was at a standstill. The dresses and heels and fancy coats sitting in Evangeline's closet looked so foreign. She wanted her uniform, her boots, the silver and black gloves that Ellyn always admired on her. This disgusting wig itched her head and the makeup on her face was choking her. Her head had been running in circles ever since the king had been murdered, and now it was finally slowing down long enough for her to think, _why am I still here? _She could leave anytime she wanted to! Maven and Elara weren't keeping her locked in her room. They weren't making her wear those damned chains or collar. She could walk right out the door and no one would bat an eye!

A new sense of life flooded through Oliverara. The first speck of energy she'd felt since seeing Evangeline back at Summerton. Evie, she missed her so much. _Well now I'm going to see her again. And then Ellyn. And then Tolly. All of them. Cause I'm done playing princess. _Oliverara grabbed a flowing gray dress that left her skin breathe, and a low pair of heels she could kick off at a moments notice. She had no possessions so all she had to do was figure out where Evie and the Scarlet Guard were going.

She ran to the door, her mind on overdrive, and ran right into Maven and Elara. "Not you two again," Oliverara groaned.

"Before you run off and die trying to find your sister," Elara began, "I think you'll want to hear our proposition." She grinned her cold grin and Maven mimicked her, albeit less sincerely.

Oliverara started reaching her powers out. "Don't try to stop me Elara. I'm stronger than you." Just as she said that her hands went limp and numb. Her legs walked themselves back until her thighs hit the bed frame and she toppled backwards.

"You were saying something Rat?" Elara chided. Oliverara tried to reach out again but her powers hid inside the crevices of her mind. Elara's death-like fingers were clawing their way across her neurons, sending cold shivers down her spine. "Now, my son and I have come to a decision about your stay here at Whitefire. The crown needs a strong allied front and that means Maven and you must also be an allied front. So, we've decided to move the wedding up." Oliverara's eyes widened and she tried to shake her head but her neck stiffened. "Don't fight me rat," Elara growled. "Now, because we're moving the wedding up that means the queen's obligatory heir bearing must also be moved up."

_No no no no! Elara I swear on my family's bloodline I can't bear a child! _

"Oh tut tut darling, _I_ had to do it too." Elara shook her head. "You and my son will be married next week, despite whatever the Scarlet Guard pulls it will happen. And once it does nothing will get in the way of cementing Maven's position. So, you must be, without the knowledge of the public of course, pregnant by the time of the wedding." She motioned to Maven. "So, I guess you both should get busy." Oliverara tried again to shake her head, to scream, to do something but her body refused to move. She was completely frozen. Maven didn't look too thrilled about any of this either. He slunk forward with his mother's hand pushing him the whole way.

_Aren't you worried about a Red in the bloodline? Aren't you worried whatever mutation I have will pass on? _

"Oh please," Elara smiled. "Whatever child you have won't live long enough for anyone to ever see its blood. What better to make the country rally beside the royal family than losing a child so young?" Elara laughed and gave Oliverara a pat on the cheek.

_This won't work Elara. I can't bear a child. _

"Oh but you will."

_No, I can't. _Oliverara forced a smile on her face. _I really can't. _Elara's gleam turned sour and the fingers were back pawing through Oliverara's mind. She braced herself, one of the few memories she still couldn't stomach. The day her mother had her sterilized.

She didn't remember much of it thankfully. Just the way the chains bit down on her arms and legs. The way the knife looked so shiny in the light. The scowl as her mother watched the doctor perform the surgery. Whatever venomous lies she'd spun lost to her small ears. Elara picked through each glance, each gleam, each slice. Each one making her more and more _angry_.

"You useless Red Rat!" Elara threw Oliverara across the room. Her head smacked off the wall but the nerves in her body exploded back to life. "Of course you have nothing to offer except being a placeholder until a real human comes along!" Elara's leg struck Oliverara in the stomach. Maven flinched.

"Mother what are you doing? What is going on?!"

Elara seethed and turned on Maven. "This, this _thing_, was sterilized like the rat she is!" Oliverara couldn't wipe the grin off her face. Yes her stomach was in pain, yes her brain was bruised, yes she was rattled, but she _finally_ had an upper hand in this cat and mouse game.

"What are we going to do?" Maven asked. "We need something before word gets out about," he paused at Elara's icy glare.

"Why?" Oliverara stood up despite her quivering legs. "What did you screw up on now?"

"Nothing!" Elara snapped. "Our army just hit a slight speed bump on their way to success. They completed their mission of killing another Red freak, that's all that matters."

Oliverara smiled. "So, you can't find the Scarlet Guard? That's what's wrong. That's what Maven wanted to talk to me about. You can't figure out their next moves." She giggled under her breath. "How embarrassing for you!"

Elara geared up for another strike when Maven's hand stopped her. "Mother, maybe there is a way she can be useful." He pulled Elara aside and their eyes locked. _Damn, I wish I could read minds. _Oliverara sighed.

"Fine, I guess that will do." Elara turned back to her. "Congratulations Rat, you're getting your wish. Suit up, you're going back into the army."


	15. High & Mighty

**High & Mighty**

The plane was silent. Everyone was processing their defeat, the death of a newblood, Ptolemus letting her live. Mare's hateful glare was too much for Evangeline. She didn't want to face any of them. So what if her brother went easy on her? So what if Ellyn was determined to bring 'Oliverara' back to their side? Her sister was stuck in Maven's clutches, her brother and lover were off killing innocents, and she was disguised as a General with terrible fashion taste! That trumped whatever bad day they were having! Except maybe Cal with his dead father, betraying brother, and evil step-mom, but she was still second on the misery wheel! Farley was in the back of the plane toying with the dials on an old TV built into the wall. The radio signals eluded the antennae on it so the only noises coming out were squeals followed by static. Evangeline already had a headache, and the constant noise wasn't helping. Farley flipped the dial again and another high pitch hit Evangeline's ears. It was the last straw. Evangeline pulled the dial off the TV and buried it into the wall.

"We're all in a bad mood Samos," Farley sighed. "You need to find an alternate way to express that." She went over and started trying to pry the dial out of the wall.

"I'm sorry," Evangeline whispered. "I just wasn't raised to lose." The dial popped out of the wall with a flick of her finger. Farley nodded in thanks.

She approached Evangeline and held the dial out. It was flattened and crushed. "Mind straightening it out? I think I was close to finding something." Evangeline just nodded and soon the dial was twisting itself back into shape. It detached itself from Farley's hand and locked back onto the TV. Farley nodded again.

"I'll help you," Evangeline said. She joined Farley at the screen and watched the Red spin the dial back and forth. The sound was still bothersome, but counting the cracks on the glass and dust flecks on the set made things less unbearable. Finally, Farley's frustration showed itself and she spun the dial back over to shut the screen off. Instead the dial locked right before the end and a picture came to life. A woman decorated in leaves, flowers, branches, and moss sat in a fancy chair with a glittering smile. Farley grimaced.

"What is that thing?"

"Greenwarden," Evangeline explained. "Some like to wear nature on them to remind the people around of their power. Like Burners and their flamemakers or a Samos adorned in metal." She shrugged. "It's a Silver thing I guess."

"Must be, because as Reds we have no power." Farley gave Evangeline an uncomfortable side eye. She went to turn the TV off when Evangeline saw _her_. There, dressed up like a royal pet, was Oliverara.

She sat across from the reporter with poise and elegance. Elegance! Her sister? Elegant? Never! Oliverara was all dirt and blood and war, not fancy ballgowns and, holy crap were those her shoes?! Oliverara was tottering around in _her_ favorite pair of stilettos? Evangeline looked down at her own pair of mud coated boots. The baggy pants and stiff jacket and hard belt. This wasn't her. And that fancy, makeup coated, _princess_ on screen wasn't Oliverara either.

A wave of homesickness swept over Evangeline. Her stomach boiled and twisted. Was she sick? Yes, of this charade! Oliverara should be _here_! Covered in mud and bruises and sweating her ass off! Oliverara should be the one tired and wet and cold, being forced to run through the woods and watch people get hung like animals. Evangeline should be in Whitefire with the nice clothes and food and reporters dotting over how beautiful she looked. That was her role! Her life! Not Oliverara's. Oliverara's life was lies, deceit, anger, hatred, being _Red_. Evangeline was not a Red. Evangeline didn't deserve to be here. She didn't deserve to think about why her brother had refused to arrest her. She didn't deserve to ponder about where they would land a stolen jet. Or if she'd even live to see her lover again. This was what a Red should worry about! A Red like Oliverara. A Silver should worry about what dress to wear to a gala, or how to organize the flowers on a terrace for a gathering. A Silver should worry about-

"-how's preparations for the big day coming along?" The reporter on screen chirped the question so happily that Evangeline almost wanted to answer. Instead her sister did. With that fake smile, and fake face, and fake clothes, and fake life that she'd stolen. Why couldn't Oliverara just stay as herself? Why'd she have to dress up like Evangeline? If she never had done that, this wouldn't be happening! Oliverara had always been jealous of her; of her life; of her _blood_.

"That's what this is," Evangeline hissed. "This is revenge, for me being a Silver." Farley looked at her cautiously.

"Samos, calm down. What's revenge? What are you talking about?"

Evangeline snapped the TV off. "Don't you see it? My sister, my red _freak_ of a sister, stole the life I've worked so hard to make perfect, so she could escape the hell that is life as a Red!" Evangeline hurled her arm back and let a punch fly at the TV screen. It shattered in a sparkling array of glass, Silver blood adorning the edges. Evangeline didn't even flinch. "Well no more, that, that bitch, won't get away with taking what's mine!" She knocked Farley's arm as the Red reached for her. Shade, Cal, and Mare were all staring at her with wide eyes.

"I'm going to make her pay," Evangeline seethed. "She can't do this to me! She can't take everything! She doesn't deserve it, I do!" Evangeline curled the metal of the plane around her. It screamed, the same way she'd make Oliverara scream. "I built that life, and I can make it crumble at her feet."


	16. Whisper

**Whisper**

"Why can't I take this makeup off?" Oliverara picked at the fake half of her face. Elara sat next to her dressed in her regal attire as normal. She shifted in discomfort as the plane hit another rough patch of air. Oliverara smiled at the queen's hatred of flying.

"Your scar makes you identifiable. You're just a Samos cousin now. They still believe Oliverara Samos is with the Scarlet Guard."

"Tolly will know it's me," Oliverara mumbled.

Elara gripped Oliverara's arm tightly, her nails embedding deep into her wrist. "And if he says a word to anyone else he will die and you will be imprisoned in the basement of Whitefire for the rest of your life. An act your parents failed to do." Oliverara just nodded until the grip on her arm loosened.

"And what, you're here to make sure of that?" Oliverara asked. Elara just smiled and nodded. Oliverara rolled her eyes. _Yay, a babysitter, _she thought.

_I'm no babysitter. I have royal duties to attend to. Like making sure the Scarlet Guard dies when they come to my prison. _Elara snickered out loud.

Oliverara scoffed. "How are you so sure they'd even want to go to Corros Prison? It's full of Silvers."

"It's full of Silvers who hate the Crown. And Mare Barrow's friend Julian Jacos. She'll want him out for his knowledge, and the Scarlet Guard will want to make a point by setting free Silvers who hate the Crown." She smiled at Oliverara. "You see, I've thought this out."

"You certainly have."

The plane jerked again as it began descending into a clearing. A small bunker had been set up near the edge of the woods. Just through the harsh thicket was the one and only stronghold prison itself: Corros Prison. Built with Silent Stone to hold Silvers guilty of the most heinous crimes. Just hearing the name made most Silvers shiver, but not Oliverara. Corros Prison was not the worst fate she could think of. She had manifested through Silent Stone, she had mastered the art of warping under it, and she had also kept that fact a secret from almost everyone. Not even Ellyn knew. Oliverara didn't know if Elara knew, but she must if she was going to put her as a guard at the prison. There were hundreds of other stations Oliverara could be at. The Choke, a slum, Maven's private guard, anywhere in Norta even.

The plane landed gently on the grass and through the window Oliverara saw Ptolemus and some of the army members approaching. She couldn't help the smile that overtook her face upon seeing Tolly. Then another thought crossed her mind: Ellyn. She'd get to see Ellyn. Her heart skipped a beat and a strange warmth flooded over her body.

"And if you say anything to her about your identity she will die," Elara growled. Her face came up to Oliverara's and her breath coated her skin in ice. "I promise, it will be painful, and in front of you." Her cutting blue eyes bore deep into Oliverara's chrome ones. Slowly, her cold fingers crawled across Oliverara's brain picking through her mind. Bed sheets, and soft kisses, and warm fingers trailing across curves, and the curtains at the Summerton gala pulled shut. All those lovely moments between Ellyn and her. Those soft, sweet, _beautiful_ moments. And Elara's evil gaze scoring each one.

"You both do have," she paused, "_drive_ don't you." A harsh snicker.

"Jealous?" Oliverara hissed. Elara's eyes narrowed but she did nothing. Just briskly pushed past Oliverara to get off the plane.

Ptolemus bowed to Elara and so did the two solders behind him. Well, it was Sonya Iral and Heron Welle, so more like bitches in uniform than soldiers. They bowed to the queen with cute smiles like they were still princesses back in Summerton.

"Your Majesty, it is an honor to have you here," Ptolemus said.

"I know," Elara sighed. "I am just here for business with some special prisoners, and to give you a new member for your team." She pulled Oliverara forward. "This is Olive Samos from the Samos family clan down along the Piedmont border. Wayne and Amantha Samos sent all four of their children off to the war effort. Sampson and Dyron are in the Choke, Anastasia is a guard in New Town, and Olive is here to help in your guarding of Corros prison. Ptolemus I'm sure you can attest to the power of your _cousin, _can't you?" Elara stared Ptolemus down as his eyes stared in shock at Oliverara.

"Ah yes! Olive! It's been, um, too long since our parents have gotten together." He gave her a tight hug. Heron and Sonya couldn't care less about the queen's overdone story. They were too busy kissing her ass.

"Oh Your Majesty that dress is so beautiful!"

"Oh Your Majesty your jewelry sparkles in the light so elegantly!"

"Oh Your Majesty your hair is so well sculpted!"

On and on they went complimenting every inch of Elara. _She's not gonna take you out of the war because you were a kiss-up, _Oliverara thought to herself. _Never worked with my mother. _

"Heron, Sonya, please take Olive to her room. I'm sure she's anxious to relax after travelling all day," Elara smiled. Oliverara almost wanted to thank her for this out. Instead she settled for not knocking her shoulder into Elara's as she passed. The two princesses gave her no care. Just demeaning looks at her clothes and buzzcut. Oliverara didn't care. She was finally away from Elara.

_Or so you think Rat._

Wait, where had _that_ voice come from?

* * *

Ptolemus watched his sister walk away with Sonya and Heron. His chest was alive with joy. Oliverara was okay! She was going to be safe with him and Ellyn and the army! Away from Maven and Elara and their evil plots.

"Oh don't be so crude Ptolemus!" Elara crowed. "I'm not so horrible. I haven't killed your sister, I haven't punished you for letting the Scarlet Guard get away, and I didn't kill your sister's lover when she started asking questions. I'd say I've been a lot kinder than I should have." Elara smiled as Ptolemus shook his head.

"You've destroyed my family. Made my sister a pariah, forced my other one into hiding with rebels, and orchestrated the murder of your husband!" Ptolemus backed away from her.

Elara grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. "Listen to me closely Samos, if you say anything to anyone about Oliverara's or Evangeline's true identities not only will you, Evangeline, and whoever you told die gruesome public deaths, but Oliverara will be forever imprisoned in the pits of Whitefire. She will be tortured, abused, and forgotten until the day she dies and no one will mourn her passing. So do not say or do anything out of the ordinary to make anyone think anything about this situation! Do you understand me?" Ptolemus nodded. Elara let go of his arm and waved him away.

"You're a bitch Elara," he growled. She gave him an evil glare before walking off towards the prison.

"Watch your step Samos."

* * *

Oliverara sat on the bed in her room. It was private thankfully. No prying eyes. Except the weird shivers running up her neck. The soft hum in the back of her brain. She shook it away. It was nothing. She was just tired. Oliverara laid back on the bed, not even bothering to take off her uniform, and closed her eyes. The darkness beneath was so comforting. She was finally safe from Maven and Elara. This bed was no Whitefire bed, but it was what she was used to. And that was comfort enough. She sighed into the pillow and curled into a ball.

_You'll find sleep isn't always so easy. Oh wait, you're used to that._

Oliverara shot upright. That was Elara. She rocketed out of the bed and threw the door open. Up and down the hall it was empty. She quickly shut and locked the door. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. "You're not here. You're not here." Oliverara whispered.

_No, I'm in your head. _

Oliverara jumped backwards and hit the wall hard. "No, you're not here!" She scratched at her head, dragging her nails along her ears. "Not here, not here, not here!" The room was getting darker as the light outside slowly faded. Oliverara shook her head. How was it night so quickly?

_Time is an elusive thing isn't it Rat? _

The sunlight was suddenly streaming through her window; burning her eyes. Oliverara threw herself on the bed and hid her face in the pillow. "You're not here. You're not here." Oliverara sobbed. She dug through her mind looking for where Elara's voice was hiding. In her childhood? No. What about her army memories? No. Was it still rooting through her memories of Ellyn? No, thankfully. Aw, Ellyn. Now Oliverara's tears were for a different reason. She missed her lover more than ever. Knowing Ellyn was somewhere in this building. Somewhere so close by, but so far; it made her crazy. Oliverara's pain was so much she almost didn't realize the voice had retreated somewhere. She sighed in relief.

A sudden knocking on her door made her jump. "Who's there?" She called cautiously. Nothing. Did she imagine that too?

"It's Colonel Macanthos." The whisper floated through the door and Oliverara's knees went weak.

Oliverara opened the door. Ellyn stood regally on the other side. Her uniform shined, her eyes glowed, and her scar was proud against her skin. Oliverara wanted nothing more than to kiss her. Kiss her rough, kiss her passionately, kiss her till she drowned. Instead she had to stand there and die inside. "Hello Colonel Macanthos. It's nice to meet you."

Ellyn smiled. "Ptolemus told me that one of his cousins had come to fight with us. I'm always happy to meet a magnetron. Your family's power is quite fascinating to me."

Oliverara gave a tight lipped smile. "I'm honored that you think that. Well it was nice to meet you. I'm sorry but I'm terribly tired." Oliverara started to shut the door, but Ellyn caught it.

"I'm sorry, I understand that but I don't recall Ptolemus telling me your name."

_Tolly you sly dog, _Oliverara thought. Of course Ellyn would recognize her army pseudonym. She had known her while she was still in hiding as a Red soldier. Had Elara forgotten that? _She'll die if I tell her who I am, _Oliverara worried. But damn those beautiful eyes were staring into her soul.

"I'm Olive. Olive Samos."

Ellyn's eyes widened. "O-Olive?" She asked. Oliverara nodded. "Does anyone ever mess up your last name and say 'Samo'?"

Oliverara's breath hitched. "Yes, maybe they do. I'm here, um, on behalf of the queen. There's been some, um, issues in my family of late. And she thought it best that I came here. Away from the spotlight." Ellyn nodded. And she stepped into the room, the door shutting behind her.

"I'm sure that's rough. Being watched by the queen so much that you never get a chance to be yourself." Her eyes darted around the room. "But she's not watching you anymore, right?" Oliverara shook her head slowly.

"No," she breathed. "She's not watching me anymore."

A tear fell down Ellyn's face. "Oli?"

Oliverara threw herself into Ellyn's arms. Their bodies melded together in the embrace. Oliverara's tears poured onto Ellyn's shoulder. "Ellyn, I missed you so much. I've been thinking of you for so long. Everyday. All I've wanted is you."

"Oli I thought you were with the Scarlet Guard!" Ellyn sobbed. "I thought I'd never see you again!" She pulled back. "Is that Evangeline? Is she the one with the rebels?" Oliverara just nodded. Ellyn pulled her back into the hug. Her hand stroked Oliverara's buzzcut and trailed down her neck.

"Ellyn," Oliverara whispered. "Do you have to be anywhere soon?"

"No love, I don't."

Oliverara kissed Ellyn. It was so _calming_. So safe. Ellyn pulled back, a daydreamy smile on her face. "Oliverara, I love you."

"I love you too Ellyn."

Oliverara was wrong. The bunker bed was far more comfortable than any Whitefire bed. It just needed some breaking in.


	17. Bleed Together

**Bleed Together**

Shade's face hardened as his gaze traveled over Mare's shoulder. "Oh no you don't Samos." He raised his gun and fired a single shot over her head towards the dense forest behind them. Everything seemed to slow down. The bullet never even seemed to make a sound. Instead the air was filled with a high pitched shriek. Mare turned as the bullet flew through the cloudy sky towards the metal clad figure retreating into the brush. His broad shoulders and metal instincts never acknowledged the bullet as it flew towards his exposed leg. Then it turned. The bullet flipped, spinning mid air, and came rushing back. Now the high pitched shriek was Mare's. She tried to get in front of it, but it just slipped through her grasp, and struck Shade right in the heart.

"No!" It wasn't Mare's voice. It was a rough voice. A hoarse voice. A voice she couldn't tell if she'd heard days ago or in the last few minutes. With the only strength Mare could muster, she turned. Behind the blood and death and tears of the Barrow's stood three people.

Ptolemus Samos; on the edge of the woods. And almost touching the mess stood two Oliverara's. One, a knife pinned to her throat, with Silver blood trailing down her neck. Another, a piece of shrapnel digging through her torn uniform and her chest, with Red blood coming out of the wounds. Both were panting, and heaving, and spitting, and _screaming_.

"Why did you kill him!"

* * *

**A Few Hours Earlier**

Ellyn's skin was cold against Oliverara's, but the blankets they were curled up in were warm. The early morning light shone in Oliverara's eyes and she rolled over. She sighed happily as she curled into Ellyn's arms. She was still asleep and Oliverara took the opportunity to admire the way the sun reflected off of her skin. So angelic and sweet. As she stared Ellyn's eyes fluttered open. "Hey love," Ellyn whispered.

"Good morning," Oliverara giggled. She planted a gentle kiss on Ellyn's forehead before putting her face back into the crook of Ellyn's neck. "You didn't have to stay here all night."

Ellyn's hand ran across her back. "I wanted to."

They stayed in the warm bed for another hour just smiling and enjoying being together. Their bodies a mess of limbs and soft bruises. Neither one of them had ever been happier. Oliverara had not a care in the world for the first time since the switch.

Until someone started pounding on the door.

Both girls shot out of bed like they were on fire. Ellyn's skin had turned rock solid as Oliverara bent the walls at their metal seams. Their uniforms were on in seconds and Oliverara opened the door as Ellyn stood against the wall behind it. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was Tolly.

"My blood Tolly! You scared us," Oliverara said. He came in and threw his arms around Oliverara.

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to see you before you went off on your rounds, and I figured since Ellyn never came back to the mess hall that I shouldn't bother you during the night."

Ellyn smiled. "Yeah I'm sorry I ran out like that. You seemed so insistent on me meeting your," she laughed, "_cousin. _I see why now."

"I reworked a few things on the schedule," Ptolemus said. "You two will be stationed near the back exit of the prison where the guards go in and out. Just the two of you." His sly smile made Oliverara's heart leap. She threw her arms around him again.

"Thank you Tolly," she whispered. "Thank you for looking out for Ellyn and I."

Ptolemus hugged her back. "Don't thank me Oli. Just be safe."

Oliverara and Ellyn grabbed their prison mandated weapons and started on the hike up to Corros. A few other members of the new army went as well but most were doing a training session with Ptolemus that day. Oliverara was thankful for that. She was also thankful that Elane was one of the members coming with them. Oliverara surveyed her sister's lover, checking from a distance if she was okay. Elane looked as regal as ever in her uniform, but the gun on her hip stood out abnormally against her thin waist. It looked too big for her hands. Her red hair had been cut from it's long flowing locks to a shorter pixie. The way her hands strayed to where her hair used to hang made Oliverara think it had been cut recently. Otherwise Elane looked fine. No bruises or cuts or marks on her porcelain skin. No dirt on her uniform. No mud stains on her boots. Part of Oliverara was thankful, but the other part was jealous. Her time in the army wouldn't have been complete without mud, dirt, pain, blood, and daily agony. _This_ army was getting treated like little kids playing war.

"Pull your collar up higher," Ellyn whispered to her. Oliverara looked at her quizzically but did as she was told; untucking the grey collar and pulling it to her chin. She felt like an idiot.

"This looks stupid," she whispered back.

"What's worse, looking a little stupid or having that hickie on your neck visible?" Oliverara's face flushed. So much so that the Red blush of her cheeks shone through the silver paint. Thankfully the woods were shadowed so no one saw the un-Silver like color on her skin.

Corros Prison stood as a hulk of metal and stone before them. Lines of prisoners were being led inside in Silent Stone chains to the tune of guards barking orders at them. Their shoulders were hung and their backs were hunched over from the weight of the suppressing chains. Oliverara felt bad for them. She knew the feel of Silent Stone. She also knew the thrill of destroying it.

Her and Ellyn went around the barbed wire fencing of the prison and were let into the back. The cold chrome doors felt comforting to Oliverara. She could destroy them in seconds. Ellyn took a seat on one of the stone steps, stretching her long legs out. Oliverara's eyes trailed up and down her lover's body, small flutters in her chest making her breath catch. Ellyn noticed her staring and a grey flush ran up her neck. Oliverara paced around in circles in the dying grass. No greenwarden had been back here in awhile. Ptolemus had been so sly putting them back here. Secluded, safe, no outposts that could see to their spot, thick walls protecting them from Elara's gaze, and as little traffic for a prison as possible.

_Or perhaps he didn't want anyone to see his Red mistake sister. _

Oliverara jumped. The voice ricocheted through her mind with force. Ellyn looked over at her with concern.

"Oli are you okay?" Oliverara just nodded. There were bells and whistles ringing in her brain. She rubbed her temple to ease the pain.

_I'm-I'm not a mistake. Tolly loves me. _Wait, could the voice hear her too?

The voice made a sharp barking laugh. _Oh sure he does! That's why he didn't call your father to ask to stay with you instead of being sent to this new army. That's why he never defended your name when Evangeline outed you as a Red Rat. That's why he never told your parents what was happening. Because he loves you SO MUCH. Pathetic Rat. _

Oliverara shook her head. Of course Tolly loved her! He took care of her, protected her, kept her secrets, and most importantly, he never called her a mistake. Or a Red.

_Are you so sure about that? _

Oliverara couldn't tell if that was Elara's voice or hers anymore.

* * *

The plane was landed and hidden deep in the woods off Harbor Bay. No one had spoken in quite a few hours. The silence laid on them like a heavy blanket, or a dense sea fog. Not like talking would have solved anything. Maven was still on his warpath, Nix Marsten was still dead, and Evangeline had still snapped at the thought of her sister pretending to be Silver. The only thing keeping their ragtag crew from falling apart was Farley tapping away at her communicator with that stern look on her face. She had been communicating with someone for the past hour, constant beeps and clicks coming from her machine. Whoever it was Farley never said. Just pointed to where Cal was to land the plane and went back to her machine.

Mare was sitting quietly on a stone; her face blank and ashen. Both Cal and Kilorn had tried to talk to her but she had stonewalled them. Only Shade was allowed to sit near her. Their bent heads betrayed their quick whispers but Evangeline didn't care to eavesdrop. Her blood, her _Silver_ blood, was still boiling at the thought of her _Red_ sister. Her Red sister sitting on _her_ throne and wearing _her_ clothes and playing around in _her_ life! Evangeline curled her bracelet tighter around her wrist, digging in until gray lines appeared.

"My connection is bringing us a newblood from Harbor Bay any moment now. Name: Ada Wallace," Farley finally spoke. Her voice was so sudden everyone jolted. "He's bringing her through the pipe system and will meet us on the edge of the city. So we need to move, now." At that command Kilorn and Shade were both up. Mare, Cal, and Evangeline followed behind them. The trees were thick and the ground damp thanks to the proximity to the water. It leeched cold through the dense branches and made goosebumps rise on Evangeline's arms. Evangeline's feet were sore; she'd never walked this much in her entire life. Trained? Yes. Warped? Yes. Danced? Yes. Walked through forests and swam rivers? No. The group paused as Farley went back to her machine. More beeps and clicks came. Farley pointed to the bushes facing them. A rattle sounded as a man appeared with his hands up. Not in surrender though. His forarms were pointed out; an anchor tattoo proudly showing. He was alone.

"Crance where is the girl?" Farley asked. The man sadly stared for a second before shaking his head. Farley's head dropped into her hands. "No, you're joking."

"I'm sorry Captain. I went to the fence of House Rhambos's property but the girl never came. Her friend said she'd disappeared right after a Silver military transport came through. My crew is looking through the nearby riverbeds for her body." The man scratched his head with an apologetic look. Evangeline sighed and shook her head. She didn't care about the dead girl. What she did care about was the look of utter defeat on Farley's face. The cry of anguish that left Mare's mouth. The looks of desperation and sadness Shade and Kilorn wore. She too felt a bit of grief over their mission; failed before they ever got started. Maven was killing every name on that list and he had beaten them to it again.

Crance came closer to Farley. "You're not alone here though Captain. Some of your rebel friends got here first." The bushes rattled again and out came at least ten red scarved members. All of them donning guns and knives on their belts. The Colonel followed behind, a look of disapproval on his cold face.

He stepped right up to Farley who closed her eyes; ready for a verbal lashing for all her mistakes. "I'm sorry Captain," he said calmly. Farley's eyes opened in shock. "I'm sorry about your girl and the man in Courant. You tried; it wasn't your fault."

Farley nodded but she didn't look the Colonel in the eye. He put his hand on her shoulder, a small sign of comfort. Mare was leaning against Shade; wet tears streaking down her face. The other Scarlet Guard members looked just as downtrodden. The weight of Maven's plan was crushing all of them. There didn't seem to be any hope left for their mission. Even Evangeline felt the weight, although she didn't know why.

"There must be something else we can do. Another way to give a good hit to that pretencious Silver. There's gotta be," Farley sighed.

The Colonel shook his head then stopped. His eyes lit up and he smacked his hands together in joy. "There is!" He yelled excitedly. "There is another way! We have one more move up our sleeves!" Everyones eyes were on him, excitement shining through their despair. Only Farley shook her head.

"Do we have the manpower for it?"

The Colonel shrugged like it didn't matter. "We'll find out. Even if we don't, we'll give it everything we've got."

"What are you talking about?" Mare asked. "What's our move?"

Farley and the Colonel exchanged brief nods of confirmation. Then Farley's grin took over her face. "We're gonna storm Corros Prison."

* * *

The twisting metal of Corros Prison called to Evangeline. It whispered her name and calmed her nerves. Just beyond those metal walls were cages upon cages built out of silent stone. Even through the jet's frame Evangeline could feel the chill. It also could've been her own imagination. Evangeline shuddered and moved away from the window. The jet had been landed a mile from Corros as they waited for backup from other Scarlet Guard veins in the area. Farley and the Colonel were in the back room talking on their machines and prepping weapons. Cal and Mare were outside the jet talking while Kilorn watched them in jealousy. It was just her and Shade inside the cockpit.

"Of course Mare has two attractive guys vying for her attention," Evangeline scoffed.

"Jealous?" Shade asked.

Evangeline laughed. "You know me better than that Shade."

He smiled and nodded. "That I do. I know your sister far better though." Evangeline's laugh cut short and she turned away from Shade. He looked at her quizzically. "You still mad about her playing you in that interview?"

"No, I'm still mad that despite her blood my sister seems to get the long straw in every transaction," Evangeline sighed. Shade nodded.

"I can understand that."

Evangeline turned back to him. "Are you joking? How could you understand?"

Shade shrugged. "Well I understand sibling jealousy. I understand that as a newblood it hurts to see another newblood get treated with respect and honor, while I got kicked around and almost killed. I understand that you don't hate your sister, you just believe that someone like her should've had more hardship in their life." Shade got up and came up to Evangeline. He set his hand gently on her shoulder. "I understand that you don't know the horrors and hell your sister has been through, but believe me, she has suffered far more than she has gained in this life."

Evangeline nodded. "I'm sorry, I just never imagined I'd have to live a day in her life. I guess I'm not as tolerable towards her as I thought."

Shade shook his head. "No you are. Trust me Evangeline, once you're back with your sister you won't have these feelings anymore. All of this anger you have is just stress." He smiled at her and Evangeline felt a bit better.

"Is it true that Oliverara can warp under silent stone?" Evangeline whispered. She didn't want to know the answer. She didn't want another reason for her blood to burn at the thought of her sister. But Shade nodded yes. And that was all the fuel Evangeline needed to storm out of the plane. Cal, Kilorn, and Mare gave her no care, until a chunk of plane was torn off and flung across the clearing into a tree.

"Maybe don't destory the one transport we have," Kilorn grumbled. Evangeline's look silenced him.

"The rest of the army should be here soon if I overheard Farley right," Mare said to no one in particular. "We should get ready to march." Her and Cal got up and wandered back into the jet. Evangeline took a seat on the log they'd been perched on and hung her head. She loved her sister. She loved her brother. Did she love Tolly more? No of course not. Right? Evangeline's head spun and bile rose in the back of her throat.

She sat like that for a half hour until the purring of an engine on stealth mode kicked up the wind around her. Two jets cruised down into the clearing armed with guns on their wings. They were fighter jets. And from the blue lines on their sides they weren't Nortan. Evangeline watched the red clad soldiers descend from the planes carrying weapons by the tens. She had to admit, Reds certainly knew how to prepare for a fight. The army grew and grew until Farley and the Colonel came out from their conference. Their grins covered most of their faces as they surveyed the Reds and weapons gathered before them. Even Cal seemed impressed.

Finally the march to Corros began. Evangeline's third time hiking through the woods. Both times had led to dead bodies. Evangeline's hope for this mission quickly was going down the drain. Leaves, dirt, mud, grass; it all stuck to her boots and pants. The smell of ash grew stronger as they got closer to Corros. As the edge of the woods came closer the Colonel haulted them. His machine beeped and clicked a few times before the roar of an engine sounded back from the clearing. The two Lakeland fighter jets rose up above the trees, stealth mode off, and flew over the prison.

In seconds the loudest explosion Evangeline had ever heard ricocheted through the forest.

The Scarlet Guard army flooded out of the trees and onto the ground of Corros Prison. Where the front walls had been there was now a pile of rubble and wires. Ammo and bombs rained down from the fighter jets on the walls and fencing around the prison. Sirens screeched through the air as Silver soldiers came running out of the disaster zone. Evangeline recognized some of them. She recognized Sonya Iral in one of the towers right as a bomb toppled it to the ground. She recognized Rohr Rhambos as she hurled rocks and rubble at soldiers. _I never liked her, _Evangeline thought about the tiny bitch. Her knife went easily through Rohr's chest.

Shade suddenly blinked into existence next to Evangeline. "Your talents will be better used inside the prison Evangeline. More metal, more targets, and more chance to get some fear into these Silver guards." His grin made her sick but she agreed and took his arm.

The jump into the prison stirred Evangeline's stomach but not bad enough to hurl. Fire sparked around her and dust from caved in walls and blown out walkways made her cough. Scarlet Guard members rushed around helping weak Silver prisoners out and away from the fire as another round of bullets hit. "What are we looking for?" Evangeline asked as Shade blinked around the area.

"Your brother."

Evangeline's heart dropped. "Tolly's here?"

"That's his army of Silvers we're fighting out there." Shade absently pointed to the courtyard. "We need to find him and convince him to surrender. We can use him for bargaining from Maven to get your sister back."

Evangeline's eyes narrowed. "Of course. All this is for Oliverara. Typical."

Shade looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry Evangeline but your sister is highly valuable to our cause. I can't help that and neither can she." He put his hand on her arm and Evangeline braced for the jump, but it didn't happen. Instead Shade smiled at her. "Now please, find your brother."

Evangeline sighed, pushed the anger down into her gut, and reached out for Tolly. Searching for his telltale marks of battle. His uniform style, his pattern of knife jabs, anything that resembled her brother. And she struck gold. His stereotypical armor pattern. Hard chestplates and shoulderpads molded onto steel and bronze. The mark of a Samos fighter. "He's going down the back stairs," Evangeline said.

This time the jump made her vomit.

As Evangeline hurled onto the cobblestone wall Shade jumped again in front of the metal clad Ptolemus. "Hey Samos long time no see," he grinned. Ptolemus froze and his reach went for a knife, but he paused when he saw Evangeline.

"Evie?" He asked. "Is that really you?" Evangeline wiped her mouth and nodded.

"Yeah Tolly, it's me." She smiled as best she could through her headache and pain. Ptolemus didn't hesitate to wrap her in a tight hug.

"You're okay," he whispered. "Thank the stars you're okay." He pulled back suddenly. "Have you seen her yet?"

"Who?" Evangeline and Shade both spoke.

Ptolemus looked between them in shock. "Elara Merandus is _here_! She's in Corros! Isn't that why you're here? To kill her? To save Oli?"

"Elara is here?" Shade gasped. His mouth moved but no words left. Then he blinked and came back to Earth. "Wait, save Oli? Isn't she with Maven?"

Ptolemus shook his head. "Elara brought her here disguised as a soldier. To keep her from messing up Maven's and her plans." He looked around the demolished building. "If Elara is alive Oli is still in danger." Evangeline watched in shock as Ptolemus turned to leave.

"Where are you going?!" She yelled.

"I have to find Oliverara!" He called. "Elara will want her out of here. I can't lose her again!"

Shade's hand grabbed his arm threateningly. "Ptolemus, come with us. We will find Oliverara and the Scarlet Guard will handle Elara." Shade looked him in the eye. "It's over Ptolemus, Oliverara will be safe now."

Ptolemus shook his head. "No. Elara will kill her!" Tears filled his eyes. "Elara told me that if anyone found out about Oliverara being here she would die a horrible death beneath Whitefire. I need to protect my sister and kill that monster! Then this will be over!"

Evangeline couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Tolly, you can't kill the Queen! Just surrender and come with us. The Scarlet Guard will send Elara running back to Maven and we can get away from this mess her and Maven created!" Ptolemus shook his head slowly.

"No Evie I can't." Ptolemus pulled away from Shade's grip. "I can't leave Oliverara on her own. I did when she was a child. I did when she went to war. I won't do that to her again! It's my job to protect her." He gave one last look before stepping back and turning to leave.

Evangeline Samos snapped.

"Ptolemus Samos you are a Silver and worth far more than that Red Rat! Surrender now!" Evangeline pulled his armor down until his body hit the ground and she brought her sword to his throat. The blade cut against his neck, silver drops dripping down to his chest. His wide chrome eyes looked sad and scared. They were emotions unbecoming of a Samos.

"What did you just call my sister," he whispered. Ptolemus rose from the ground, his armor rattling and twisting out of Evangeline's grasp. The metal walls screamed as they curved under his power. Shade stood between them, his arms out to jump one if necessary, but his anger was aimed at Evangeline. The way he stood, the way his fists curled, the look in his deep eyes. Ptolemus threw the sword across the battle scarred field. It struck dirt and buried down to the hilt. Evangeline gasped at the action. How dare he take her weapon! She was so shocked it took a second for his words to go through her head.

"I said," Ptolemus bowled past Shade and loomed over Evangeline "what did you just call my sister!"

"She's our sister," Evangeline hissed, "and I just said that you're worth more than she is. Oliverara can take care of herself just fine, she doesn't need you to pro-"

Ptolemus slapped her. Hard. Evangeline fell to the ground holding her jaw. She could already feel a gray bruise forming.

"What is wrong with you!" Evangeline roared. She lept up from the ground and banged her hands against Ptolemus's chest. He didn't move. "How dare you hit me!"

"How dare you call Oliverara a rat! She's your sister! Your blood is hers!"

This time it was Evangeline's turn to slap him. Or more like punch him. She nailed him dead in the eye. She hoped it would turn a ghastly gray by dusk. Ptolemus just shook his head and groaned in pain. "She was born a Red," Evangeline hissed. The words were pouring out of her now. Whatever stopper had been holding back Evangeline's feelings towards her twin had been pulled. So she just kept screaming, "You're going to stand here and defend her while she tries to act like some perfect Silver princess? She's a killer! She's a freak! She's a Red, c'mon Tolly listen to me! You can't protect her; she's only family cause Dad was too cowardly to kill her!"

Despite the battle going on around them the world was silent. It was just Evangeline and Ptolemus, and the words hanging in the air. Evangeline didn't regret them at first. It was true. Oliverara was only a Samos because of Volo's cowardly behavior. She still didn't regret them when Shade disappeared; angry words flashing by too quick to catch. She still didn't regret them when tears fell from Ptolemus's eyes. Evangeline did regret them though when she turned from her brother to walk away.

And saw Oliverara standing in the rubble behind her.

She looked so _normal_. Perfect buzzcut, scar shining under freshly peeled makeup, metal weapons holstered at her hips, and a striking black uniform gripping her figure. Even the tears falling down her face looked like they were meant to be there.

"Oli-" Evangeline didn't know what to say. All she could think of was what she _had_ said. And it was too much.

"Fuck you," Oliverara hissed, then slipped through a hole in the crumbled wall and back into the fight. Ptolemus was gone too; smashed through a dilapidated doorway. Evangeline called to her sword which returned to her hands; cracked and chipped. It was useless to her now; too fragile.

It might as well have been made of glass.

* * *

Oliverara walked like a zombie through the fire and rubble of what was left of Corros Prison. Her brain was muddy and foggy, like Harbor Bay on a fall morning. Or the Choke after a nasty firefight. Her metal senses guided her around holes and dips whle deflecting stray bullets from the attacking Scarlet Guard, but Oliverara's mind was elsewhere. Buried in the words of her sister. And the whispers of Elara.

_Oh don't act so shocked! You had to have known your sister didn't care for you. You're a Red! She was socialized to hate people like you. She was socialized to find you disgusting and demeaning. Look at you! Covered in dirt and ash with that hideous face! You're no soldier! You're a freak. You've known it all your life; it was about time you heard it from your sister too. _

Oliverara shook her head. She'd always suspected that Evie thought of her differently but to hear her own sister call her a freak. A Red. A _killer_. Oliverara wiped the tears from her face, more makeup falling to the ground in perfect flesh colored flakes. Her head pounded with ringing and banging, and Evangeline's firm statement bouncing through her mind. More tears fell from Oliverara's eyes.

_That's right Rat. Cry, cry like the pathetic monster you are. _

"Shut up!" Oliverara screamed. Her hands went over her ears in vain. She clawed at her skin and let more flakes fall haplessly to the ground. The voice snickered.

"Oli! Are you okay!" Ellyn's voice cut through the malicious laughter of Elara and brought Oliverara out of her daze. The beautiful stoneskin dashed across the burning courtyard, bullets bouncing off of her hardened skin. She grabbed Oliverara's shoulder and the rough stone dug into her. "We need to get out of here," Ellyn said quickly. "Ptolemus and the others are retreating into the woods before the Scarlet Guard starts taking hostages. We need to go!" Oliverara just nodded.

"Is Tolly okay? I went looking for him when the first bomb went off," Oliverara whispered. She hadn't even gotten to talk to her brother, what if he agreed with Evangeline? Her heart sunk into her gut.

Ellyn shook her head. "I don't know Oli but he looked fine when he went past me. Now c'mon we have to get out of here!" Ellyn practically dragged Oliverara's body across the courtyard in haste. More fire raged around them as the Scarlet Guard entered the prison to claim their victory.

"Leaving so soon girls?" The silky voice of Elara Merandus made both of them freeze. Or more like it forced them to. Oliverara's joints locked up and her muscles turned solid. Ellyn next to her struggled against the force but even she couldn't break Elara's grip. The Queen walked around them, her hair and dress perfectly untouched by the debris around her. "You didn't think I'd just let you run off?" Her ghastly blue eyes stared at Oliverara. "Now I think you two have some explaining to do," her smooth tone turned to a harsh growl.

Oliverara wanted to play dumb but she knew there was no chance. Her makeup was gone, her scar was on display, and Ellyn's hand had found its way into hers. Elara didn't need to go picking through their brains to know that Oliverara had broken her rule. Ellyn flinched as Elara slithered into her mind anyway, just for kicks.

"Oh tut tut you poor stupid girls," Elara hissed. "I thought you would have known better than to disobey me Oliverara."

"Please," Oliverara choked out. "Just wipe Ellyn's mind and let her go. You can do whatever you want with me just please let her go."

Elara smiled cooly as she backed away from them. "Oh she won't remember any of this," she snickered, "because she's going to be dead."

"No!" Oliverara cried out. "Elara please I swear on my family's name and honor I'll do anything if you spare her life!"

Elara shook her finger condescendingly. "Oh I'm not the one who gets to decide if Ellyn will live or not." The two girls were released from her grip and hit the ground hard. "That all depends on how willing you are to die." Oliverara shot up and looked at Elara in confusion. The whisper sat herself gently on a stone slab, like she was going to watch a game or performance.

And that's exactly what it was.

Elara's icy eyes gleamed as Ellyn rose stiffly to her feet, stone skin hard and impenetrable, her eyes dead and lifeless. She drew the gun from her hip and fired twice at Oliverara. Elara laughed as Oliverara dodged them and rolled to Ellyn's other side. "Take your choice Red Rat. Kill your lover or let her kill you!" Elara swished her fingers and Ellyn's body lurched forward to lunge at Oliverara.

"No," Oliverara sobbed as she jumped out of the way. Ellyn's grey eyes stared at nothing as she lunged again to the sound of Elara laughing.

Oliverara danced around Ellyn's stumbling body as tears cascaded down her face. Her senses yelled at her to pull a knife or shrapnel or crush her under one of the metal walls. She couldn't do it though. The metal felt too heavy in her control. It weighed down her mind. Her feet tripped her up and dirt flew everywhere as Ellyn almost jumped on top of her. Oliverara rolled over and back up to her feet. Her body swayed unsteadily at the motion. _Dammit Samos get ahold of yourself! _Oliverara's head screamed. _Think of something think! You're a trained General of the freaking Nortan Army! You can get out of this c'mon!_

Elara snickered as she made Ellyn fire from her gun again. The bullets ricocheted off the wall over Oliverara's head. The terrified magnetron didn't even bother to deflect them. Instead Oliverara dropped to the ground and slid between Ellyn's legs, knocking her over. Elara's grin widened and she pulled Ellyn back up. Oliverara kicked up her leg and nailed Ellyn in the back of the neck. Her body dropped once again face first into the ground.

"There you go Rat," Elara snickered. "Do what you do best: hurt the people you love." Oliverara gritted her teeth against the sting of the words and grabbed Ellyn by her curly hair. She threw her lover backwards onto the ground and brought her knees down onto Ellyn's stomach. She felt her hardened exterior soften to flesh and Oliverara's boney knees sunk into Ellyn's gut. Her hands came down and pinned Ellyn's thin wrists to the charred ground. Her lover's eyes stared up at her with a blank cloudy look, no recognition or even sadness.

A knife slipped out from Oliverara's belt. It hovered next to her head, wobbling under the nerves ringing in her powers. Elara leaned forward, watching, waiting for the moment of impact. Ellyn's head leaned back, her neck exposed to the shiny blade. More tears coarsed down Oliverara's face and dripped onto Ellyn's pale skin. "I'm so sorry love. I pray this is the right thing to do." Oliverara closed her eyes and let the knife go.

It dropped like a stone down towards Ellyn, then turned upwards. Slicing through the air faster than a bullet it pierced through Elara's chest and squirted silver blood over the grass. Oliverara opened her eyes to see the queen, blood dripping down the front and back of her dress, gurgle and gasp through the silver mess. She tried to stand but her legs collapsed and her body hit the ground.

The Queen of Norta was dead.

Oliverara jumped to her feet, chest heaving with panic. It worked. She couldn't believe it, it worked! She had killed Elara Merandus! "Oh my blood I killed Elara Merandus," she said in horror. Ellyn groaned from the ground and rubbed her head but Oliverara's panic instincts took over. She charged out of the clearing and through the ruined walls of Corros. The last of the explosions from the Scarlet Guard's attack sounded behind her. _I gotta get out of here. I gotta get out of here! _

Oliverara ran until she reached the front of the prison. She saw the remains of Ptolemus's army disappearing into the woods. Her body went to follow, but her mind had other ideas. _You didn't think you could get rid of me that easy did you Rat?_

Oliverara spun around but she was still alone. _I-I killed you. I saw you-your body! How are you still here!? _

_Simple. You're the strongest magnetron, but I'm the strongest whisper to ever live. And you won't ever be free of me Rat. Never._ Elara's laugh made Oliverara's head spin and burn. The sound riveted through her worse than any migraine. _Now_,_ let's go find your Scarlet Guard friends. It's time they saw what you _really_ are. _

* * *

Shade appeared in front of Mare, the army behind him falling back from the Scarlet Guard's bombs. He looked proud. Tired and bloody, but proud. He smiled at Mare, a real smile. "We've done it," he whispered. "We took the prison." He raised his voice higher above the gunfire. "We've taken the prison and we've taken your Silvers!" The jubilation on his face was unlike any joy Mare had ever seen. "We found the body of Elara Merandus," he cheered. "She's dead! The Queen of Norta is dead! We won Mare, we won!" Then Shade's face hardened. His gaze traveled over her shoulder. "Oh no you don't Samos." He raised his gun and fired a single shot over Mare's head towards the dense forest behind them.

Everything seemed to slow down.

The bullet never seemed to make a sound. Instead the air was filled with a high pitched shriek. Mare turned as the bullet flew through the cloudy sky towards the metal clad figure retreating into the brush. His broad shoulders and metal instincts never acknowledged the bullet as it flew towards his exposed leg. Then it turned. The bullet flipped, spinning mid air, and came rushing back.

Now the high pitched shriek was Mare's. She tried to get in front of it, but it just slipped through her grasp, and struck Shade right in the heart.

His body dropped. No hesitation. No bloody gurgle or gasp; he just dropped. His knees hit the ground first. Sideways. Not straight down. That would be too neat. Too clean. His knees bent at such an awkward angle as they hit the ground. Like every part of him had given up the moment the steel touched flesh. Next came his torso; curled inwards as his blood filled his stomach. Then his head. His arms did nothing; provided no support. His head made a thud. Like when a stack of books gets pushed off a shelf. So plain and firm. Just, thud. And the red blood that seeped over the grass didn't care about the neat uniform he wore, or the red scarves he already adorned because of the pride he held. It didn't care that there was a woman he loved waiting on the plane. It didn't care that his family was on a base somewhere in the ocean, or that his sister was standing over his body, screaming. It just ran and ran until it touched Mare's boots, and then it kept running. Running away from the horror behind it.

"No!" It wasn't Mare's voice. It was a rough voice. A hoarse voice. A voice she couldn't tell if she'd heard days ago or in the last few minutes. With the only strength Mare could muster, she turned. Behind the blood and death and tears of the Barrow's stood three people.

Ptolemus Samos; on the edge of the woods. His uniform rattled as his arms trembled. He won't admit even to himself that a few tears came out that moment. He turned again, away from all responsibility, and ran into the woods. He'd meet his army at their checkpoint, and they'd discuss how to tell the King his mother was dead. Ptolemus would cry that night; silently, to himself, and without responsibility.

And almost touching the mess stood two Oliverara's. One, a knife pinned to her throat, with Silver blood trailing down her neck. Another, a piece of shrapnel digging through her torn uniform and her chest, with Red blood coming out of the wounds. Both were panting, and heaving, and spitting, and _screaming_.

"Why did you kill him!"


	18. The Queen Always Wins

**The Queen Always Wins**

"Who killed Shade Barrow?"

"I did."

"Interesting. Because your sister just confessed to it as well."

"Well she's lying."

"Why would she do that? After what happened at Corros you two didn't seem to be on speaking terms. Why is she covering for you?"

"i don't know, but I know I did it. It wasn't my fault though."

"Really? How so?"

"Her voice. It's-it's still in me; I can hear her. I killed her, but she's still in my head. She makes me think thes-these things and they're horrible."

"Do you mean Elara Merandus's voice?"

"Yes! You have to believe me, I can't stop her I tried!"

"I'm sorry General Samos, but I _don't_ believe you."

* * *

"I killed Shade Barrow."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm positive. He wanted Oliverara and he didn't want me. I'm not as _special_ as she is, a-and I couldn't stand that."

"Are you sure you aren't just covering for your sister?"

"Aren't you listening?! I killed Shade because he loved Oliverara more. I would have killed Tolly too if Oliverara hadn't stopped me. I was angry at him and I was just so, so, angry at everyone! I-I'm so sorry!"

"Evangeline, come on, stop crying."

"I took my friend's life! I'm a monster!"

"Evangeline, listen to me. Your sister already confessed to killing Shade because some voice told her to. Are you saying she's lying to protect you?"

"Yes. She has to be. I know I killed Shade. I know I did."

* * *

"No Evangeline is lying! She would never kill Shade! She cared for him just like she cared for Bree and Tramy. They saved my life in the army, she would never let anger get the better of her. I killed him because Elara told me to!"

"Queen Elara is dead Oliverara. She can't control you anymore. She was dead before Shade was, so there is no way she could have made you kill him. Either you're covering for Evangeline or you killed Shade of your own volition. Now which is it?"

"I killed him! I killed him, but it doesn't matter if Elara was already dead. She's still in my head!"

"The only person in your head is you."

"No she is! Can't you hear her, she is!"

"Oliverara sit down now."

"No I can't! She's here, she's in my head please get her out!"

"Oliverara get back! Security! Security contain her!"

* * *

"What's going on? What are you doing to my sister?"

"She's having an episode Evangeline. Don't worry they have her under control."

"Are those stun guns? Wait, what are you doing?"

"Evangeline, remain where you are."

"Please don't hurt my sister."

* * *

Farley came out of the silent stone cell where Evangeline was being held. She looked sad for her. The door was quickly locked behind her and Mare could see Evangeline staring blankly out of the room. The Colonel was standing back as guards with stun guns chained Oliverara's limp body to the wall. It would do no good if she could warp under silent stone, but they weren't taking any chances. Mare still had tears on her face. Hearing those two girls talking about Shade; each saying they did it. Mare still couldn't believe this was happening.

"You okay?" Cal's warmth came up behind Mare and his breath left heat on her neck. She just nodded.

"Who do you think did it?" She whispered.

"I don't know," Cal sighed. "On the one hand, Evangeline was angry when the battle started. And she did have that blow up on the plane. But she was angry at her sister. I can't imagine her directing that anger onto Shade."

"And on the other hand?"

Cal was silent for a few seconds. His hand on Mare's back slowly started to burn but she didn't say anything. The pain felt good, better than the numbness. "Elara turned my brother into a monster," Cal finally hissed. "She twisted him from a happy young boy to a demon intent on killing. I believe she's still in Oliverara's head." Their gazes went to the body of Oliverara in her cell. She was still, but her eyes were open. Their chrome gaze was focused on nothing. She looked dead. "I could see her making Oliverara kill."

"One last act of vengence for her death," Mare said softly. More tears were filling her eyes. "Get back at me for running away, get back at Shade for being the reason I had to live, get back at Oliverara for just existing, and spite the Scarlet Guard even more." Then she looked at the crumbled form of Evangeline. Her head was laying on the table, tears pouring out of her to puddle on the steel surface. "But Evangeline truly beieves _she_ killed Shade." Mare shook her head. "I-I don't know either Cal. I want to believe it was Elara and her mind control, but I know the price anger can bring. I-I-" Mare's words were cut off as her sentence turned to a blubbering cry. "He's dead and I don't even know who to blame!"

Cal wrapped his arms around Mare and put her face against his chest. His heat soothed her burning muscles and calmed her wild heart, but the sorrow in her gut pushed on. After a few seconds of sobbing a cough came from behind Cal. They broke their hug to see Kilorn standing awkardly behind them. "Am I interrupting a moment?" He asked.

"Yes." Cal said flatly.

Kilorn ignored him. "We need to head for Tuck. Maven is on a warpath, ranting on live TV about the terrorist Scarlet Guard that murdered his mother. They're loading the jets now."

"What about them?" Mare asked, pointing to the two Samos girls.

"They're coming too. As prisoners," Kilorn said darkly. Mare's sinking feeling increased. She wasn't particularly fond of either of them, but she couldn't find it in her to hate them either. "We have silent stone cells they can sit in until one of them stops covering for the other."

"They aren't lying," Mare spoke. "They both believe they did it."

Kilorn looked at her doubtfully. "Well I'm sorry if I don't find _you_ to be the best judge of character Mare." With that cold remark he was gone. The twisting halls of the underground bunker swallowed him in seconds. Mare hadn't even bothered to memorize turns or stops on the walk to the cells; the shock was too much for her brain to handle.

"We should go too," Cal whispered to her. "Take some time to collect yourself so we don't have a lightning storm in the air." His little joke didn't make her laugh. Mare looked back though the glass of the viewing mirror at Oliverara's dead eyes. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to have someone else constantly in your brain. Controlling you. Thinking for you. Oliverara's head raised a little and her stare cut right through Mare. The way her eyes darkened; they didn't seem to be alive. "Mare, let's go," Cal said. "She's not awake."

Mare nodded but she couldn't take her eyes off the poor girl. Her body was twitching and her mouth kept falling open and struggling to close. Like a fish convulsing. _Completely random,_ she told herself. _It means nothing._ It was probably just Mare's imagination that Oliverara seemed to be mouthing _Elara_.

* * *

Evangeline heard the sounds of footsteps echoing down the hall. Then everything was quiet again. She couldn't see through the window but her instincts told her no one was watching the cells anymore. She just needed to turn the lock on the door and she would be out. Then she could ask Oliverara why she was lying. _I know I killed Shade, _Evangeline thought. _I know what I did. Oliverara knows what I did. Why is she covering for me? After what I said about her..._

Evangeline brushed away her tears and focused on the lock. The silent stone in the corner was strong but by the door she could feel its power diminish. She hoped she was far away enough to be able to turn the lock just a bit. All she needed was one turn. Evangeline strained and pressed against the solid metal lock. It twitched but didn't move. She pushed harder, forcing her power to fill the knob that controlled the lock. Forcing it to get heavy and turn. She felt the lock vibrate and twitch, then slowly, slowly, it turned. The door creaked open and Evangeline sank to the floor in pain. Her head rang and buzzed while her limbs trembled. But she'd done it. She'd done it!

Evangeline stumbled to her feet and grabbed the wall. It was smooth and metalic. Like home. Her vision spun but she pushed on, stumbling to the other cell. Her face hit the cold glass and it stopped the whirring in her head, steadying her vision. Evangeline rubbed her shaking hands together but the tremors didn't stop completely. "Oliverara," she sighed as her gaze found her sister. She was slowly moving in her cell.

Evangeline opened the door and stepped in. The room was filled with silent stone. Silent stone blocks, chains, lights, everything. Oliverara didn't seem to care though. Her eyelids fluttered and her head rolled around like it was on a spring not her neck. "Oli?" Evangeline whispered. "Oli wake up." Her sister didn't respond. Evangeline kneeled down and shook Oliverara's shoulder. She still didn't look at Evangeline. "Why Oli? Why are you covering for me? Please, don't do this to yourself." Oliverara still didn't move.

Footsteps echoed from the hall and Evangeline's panic instincts kicked in. She shut and locked the cell then took off in the opposite direction of the sounds. She ran down the twisting hall; her power muffling her steps. She kept running as an alarm went off above her head. She still kept running when she felt guns following her through the curves of the bunker. She stopped running though, when she came upon a ladder leading up to a metal grate. Evangeline pulled herself up and punched open the grate. The sunlight blinded her eyes and her hands fumbled for something to grab. She dug her fingers into dirt and dragged her body onto soft grass. She shut the grate and saw it was fastened to a large bush. A perfect hideaway. She sat for a second and took a deep breath of the crisp air. It was pure, no smoke or ash. They were far far away from the prison. The woods rose around her like a blanket and a stream loudly gurggled nearby. Evangeline had no clue where she was.

Shaking, she rose to her feet. The world was visibly trembling as she stumbled into the woods. The birds chirped too loud, the river's water was flowing too fast, and the ground seemed to be rushing beneath Evangeline's feet. Still she pressed on, pushing her legs faster and faster until she was running through the forest. Her body lurched and bounced, not feeling attatched to her legs. Still she kept going. Faster and faster.

Evangeline Samos was free.

* * *

Mare sat on the plane with silent tears running down her face and neck. Cal had left to attend to something in the bunker and Mare was left alone on the plane. She had no idea how large the bunker was, but it had taken them 10 minutes to walk from the cells to the cave where two planes were being held. Mare would typically feel great pride in how intricate the Scarlet Guard was, but right now was not a typical time. The other soldiers on the plane weren't looking at her, but she could hear their whispers.

_"That's the lightning girl."_

_"Her brother was murdered by one of those metal girls."_

_"Yeah, the princess and the soldier."_

_"Isn't she like one of them? A Red weirdo?"_

Mare couldn't stand it. She wrapped her hands over her ears to block out their words. She sat like that for a couple more minutes before Cal's warm hands covered hers. "Mare, I have some bad news," he whispered as he pulled her hands away from her head.

"Now what?"

Cal took a deep breath and Mare glimpsed a group of soldiers leading the chained Oliverara across the cave. Her gaze returned to Cal who was also watching Oliverara. "We lost Evangeline," he sighed. "She escaped into the woods through an emergency hatch. The Guard can't find her."

Mare shook her head. "No. No she can't have gotten away! She killed my brother!"

Cal grabbed Mare's shoulders and held her down in the seat. "No Mare, she _might_ have killed Shade. Might. We don't have proof which one of them killed him, remember? I'm sorry we can't do anything more."

"I know what we can do," Mare hissed. She pushed Cal off of her as Oliverara was brought up onto the plane. She sat in one of the seats and the chains scraped the floor. Mare grabbed Oliverara by her uniform's collar and slammed her hard against the wall. "Did you kill my brother!? Or was it Evangeline? Tell me!" Oliverara just stared at her. "Answer me Samos! Did you kill my brother?!"

"Mare." Cal sat his hand on Mare's shoulder. "She's not going to tell you."

Mare stared at Oliverara a few seconds longer before letting go of her. Then she punched Oliverara dead in the jaw. Cal grabbed Mare around the waist and hoisted her kicking and screaming away from Oliverara. She coughed and spit out Red blood on the floor of the plane. It dripped down her chin and a purple blue bruise was bubbling under the surface.

"So it's true," Mare breathed. "You really are Red." She sat down with more tears running down her face. "Why would you kill Shade? He was like us! He knew you in the army! He was your friend!"

Oliverara just stared at the blood on the floor. She wiped it off her chin and it smeared along her fingers. "I don't know," she whispered. "I don't know."

Mare and Cal sat in silence as the rest of the guard got on the plane and it started out of the cave and into the air. They'd return to Tuck and wait for instructions. Mare watched Oliverara the whole time. The way her fingers twitched. The way her body moved. The way the blood glistened on her skin. Mare's body was filled with spite, sadness, and confusion. She wanted to believe Oliverara, but some part of her just didn't.

The plane bumped along through the air. It shook and trembled but the wind was heavy so it was of no concern. Then the metal of the plane started to scream. The wings curled, the walls broke open, and the plane started crashing to the ground. Cal threw his arms around Mare as the plane tore open and guard members started falling to the ground. "It's her!" Mare screamed. "She's trying to escape!" She pointed to Oliverara who was watching the metal disintegrate as her chains glowed. Her hand stretched up, her fingers out for her next move.

So Mare shot a bolt of lightning through her.

Oliverara screamed in agony and dropped out of the plane. Mare and Cal were airborn as they careened to the ground. When they struck dirt the metal shell of the plane wrapped itself around them like a cage. Mare gasped from the shock of the impact and scrambled out of Cal's arms. All around her metallic cages were confining the Scarlet Guard members. Including the now unconscious Oliverara.

The real leader of the plane hijacking was gently lowered down to the front of the cages. Around him landed Samos magnetrons and Laris windweavers with victorious gleams in their eyes. Mare's blood ran cold at his blue gaze and unfeeling smile. "Maven," she whispered.

"Hello Mare," he said. There was no love in his voice. No ounce of mercy. "Hello brother." He spoke to Cal with a hint of malice. "I see you have once again disgraced our family. First you kill our father. Then you escape from an arena of justice and join terrorists. Now you parade my mother's body on TV with your Red tryst." His gaze fell on Mare at those words.

"Maven, it's not Cal you want," Mare spoke slowly. "I know you want me. Let Cal and the rest of them go, and you get me."

"Mare don't," Cal hissed. Maven waved his hand to shush him.

"As appetising as an offer that is, I'm sure the nation would like more to see the killer of their king persecuted. Instead of just the Red who instigated it." Maven's smile was malicious and cold. He would take both her and Cal for fun.

"What about the queen's killer?" Mare asked. Her heart jumped into her throat at the offer. She wasn't really going to give him Oliverara just to save everyone else's skin, would she? _What if she did kill Shade? Maven can get his revenge, and so can you. _Mare was sick at the thought, but she was not going to let her friends die because she felt mercy towards Oliverara.

Maven approached the cage with a look of anger on his normally calm face. "Who killed my mother?" He growled.

"Oliverara did. She put a knife through her heart. You can have her and prosecute her for killing the queen. And you can have me. Both of us, in return for you sparing the lives of Cal and the guard."

Maven paused and considered the offer. Mare knew she had won him though. The way his gaze went to the unconscious Oliverara. The way it traveled over Mare's body. Both of his captives back in his grasp again. He smiled. "You have a deal Mare Barrow."

* * *

The march through Archeon hurt worse than any torture. Oliverara stumbled unsteadily between her two guards. Both were Arvens; the only ones able to stop Oliverara's power. Mare couldn't help but think if she hadn't electrocuted Oliverara, perhaps she could have fought back. She could have saved them. But it was too late now. Mare and her were Maven's prisoners. His smile glistened like the sun as Oliverara was pushed to her knees, and Mare willingly sank before him. She felt the sting of the cheers as he declared the two Red traitors, one of whom was his mother's killer, were going to be brought to justice.

Now Mare was sitting in her own Silent Stone cell with an Arven at the door. She had her own chains and collar, buzzing with silencing power. Her bones ached, her mind spun, and she had been vomiting for an hour. The cell next to her had been opened, so she knew that was where Oliverara was. A small hole in the cobblestone wall let Mare see into the cell. Oliverara was sitting against the wall like she'd done back in the bunker. Silent and unmoving. She had her own two Arven guards to silence her.

The great Oliverara Samos was defeated.

Mare knew it was wrong, but she felt like she had to say something. She had to know that she'd done the right thing. "Oliverara?" She called. The body moved in acknowledgement. "Please, tell me the truth. Did you kill my brother?"

Oliverara coughed a couple times and turned to the hole. She looked at Mare with the blankest stare she had ever seen. "I don't know. I truly dont know. Sh-she keeps saying I did, but I just can't believe her."

"You mean Elara's voice?"

Oliverara nodded. "I swear," she choked up, "she's still in my head. I swear I'm not lying." She started crying into her hands.

Mare didn't know what to say. Her head pounded and spun. There was no way she'd condemned an innocent girl to Maven's clutches. Oliverara _had_ to have killed Shade.

"The queen always wins," Oliverara sobbed. "That's what she said to me. The queen always wins. I guess she was right."

Tears squeezed their way out of Mare's eyes. No, Oliverara had to be guilty. Right? "That's not true," Mare whispered. "Elara isn't going to win." Oliverara said nothing in response. She didn't believe that and neither did Mare. Here she was, sitting in a cell in Whitefire with a maybe innocent victim of Silver tyranny, meanwhile Maven got the public approval he needed for his campaign against the Scarlet Guard, and the Guard in question was sent running across Norta without their best fighters.

_Congratulations Elara. _Mare's thoughts went out to wherever the queen's wicked spirit had settled. _I guess you have won. _


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Evangeline stumbled through the woods knocking into trees and tripping over vines. She winced as her joints and muscles all cried in protest, but she refused to stop moving. Someone could be just seconds behind her and one pause would doom her. She pushed faster over the dirt and grass, risking a glance over her shoulder. As she did, an exposed root caught her foot and Evangeline crashed face first into the ground. She spat dirt out of her mouth as her lungs burned from the fall. She gasped and attempted to steady her trembling legs to stand up. The ground felt nice though. It felt safe and secure. Evangeline rested her head on a patch of grass and closed her burning eyes. Sleep, that's what she needed, sleep. The gentle rustling of leaves and sounds of wildlife served as a rhythm rocking Evangeline to peace. Maybe when she woke up her body would be more useful, her head wouldn't be pounding, and her lungs wouldn't struggle to draw breath.

A loud snap of a stick brought Evangeline up off the ground in a frenzy. She stumbled backwards into a tree panting and heaving. The sky was black and a cool breeze was whispering through the trees. It was night. The moon glowed happily above her but the light was minimal at best. Her eyes scoured the darkness for what had made the noise that alerted her. Off in the distance she saw a light bobbing and flickering, moving closer to her. It was fire of some kind. A candle or lantern perhaps. She crouched behind the tree and watched as the figure pushed through a bush and stopped 6 feet away from her.

"Come out Evangeline," he called. His voice was smooth and melodic like the steady flame he carried. "I know you're here, I can see you."

_It's a trick, _Evangeline thought. The man waited a few more seconds before sighing and approaching the tree. He stopped in front of it. _Damn, _she sighed.

Evangeline stepped around the tree to stand face to face with the stranger. The light of his candle shadowed his face from her but she couldn't sense any weapons on him. Whoever he was, he was pretty stupid. "Who are you?" She asked. "How do you know me?"

The man chuckled. "I know everyone my dear. It's my curse." He extended his arm to which Evangeline jumped away quickly. He laughed again. "No, I'm not here to hurt you. Just look at my arm Evangeline." She waited a few seconds more then stepped closer. In the light of the candle she could see the fleshy color of his skin, the purple bruise on his arm, and the dark color of his veins.

"You're Red," she said. "You're like Mare and my sister. You have some power don't you?"

He nodded. "Yes. I can see the future. It is moreso a curse than anything."

Evangeline's heart jumped. "So you know what's going to happen to my sister!" She grabbed onto him excitedly, but he moved back.

"I do, but I can't tell you. It's not safe."

Evangeline's stomach turned. "What do you mean? Tell me!"

He shook his head. "I can't. The future is a very volatile thing. I can only guide you to the path, but it's up to you to make the decisions that alter it. Which is why I'm here now." He took a step away from Evangeline and surveyed the area. "We're safe. No one has followed you." He lowered his candle and she could see his face. Pale and unassuming, much like his voice. "The Scarlet Guard is going to fail in their mission unless they get a key player on their team."

Evangeline watched him dubiously. "They're a strong, secret, and smart organization; how could they possibly fail?"

"Well they just lost one of their best reconnaissance officers, and Maven Calore took their symbol of freedom and your sister captive a few hours ago."

Evangeline lunged at the man and grabbed him by his shirt. "What?! He took my sister! I asked if she was okay and you lied!"

The man remained calm under her grasp. "You asked if she _would_ be okay. And that is what I can't say. But she is not okay right now, she needs help. So does Mare Barrow. The only way they are going to get any help is if the Guard gets back on their feet. And to do that they need your help."

Evangeline released him and rubbed her hands furiously through her hair. "What do you mean? What can I do?"

"You need to find a Newblood named Cameron Cole. She is the key to the guard's survival, and your sister's. Find her."

"Why are you asking me?" Evangeline asked. "I'm no hero, I'm a coward. I alienated my sister, killed my friend, and ran from the consequences." Her stomach twisted again and Evangeline felt hot bile in her throat. She leaned over and vomited on the grass. It was nothing but bile and sparkling Silver blood.

"Evangeline," the man said, "you are looking for redemption for your mistakes right?" She nodded. "This is your chance. Find Cameron Cole, save your sister, help the Scarlet Guard, and maybe you'll find what you're looking for."

"If I'm going to trust you," Evangeline spat, "I need to know one thing." The man nodded for her to ask. "What's your name?"

"Jon."

She scoffed. "Yeah that's not made up at all."

"That is my name. I would never lie."

"Fine. Where do I find this Cameron girl?"

"I can't tell you where she is now, but I can tell you that she's looking for her brother. He is a child soldier."

Evangeline rubbed her head some more. The headache was back. "So find the brother and I'll find her. Great got it. I don't even know where I _am_, but sure I can find two people I've never heard of before."

Jon laughed and turned to leave. His candle flickered in the breeze as he walked into the brush. "Oh, you might want to hurry Evangeline!" He called.

"Why?" She scoffed. "Do I have a time limit for this already impossible mission?"

Jon's figure shrugged. "Perhaps. You're weak, vomiting, plagued by soreness and headaches right?" His voice was fading into the darkness.

"Yeah so?" Evangeline called as she followed him to the edge of the thicket.

"Well my dear," his voice drifted back to her by the wind, "you appear to be afflicted with silent stone poisoning. You'll probably be dead in a week or two. I do hope you find Cameron in time."

* * *

**Well this is it! The end of book 2! I hope you all have enjoyed this journey, I truly enjoyed spending more time with Evangeline in this book. Book 3 is probably going to be the most disturbing of the series because I am going to focus not just on Evangeline and her impending death, but also on Maven's torture of Mare and Oliverara. Anyway, stay safe everyone and stay tuned for...**

**The Queen's Web**

**Coming soon to a computer near you lol. -RR**


	20. The Queen's Web

**The Queen's Web has been officially published! Thank you all for sticking with me through these stories and I hope you enjoy book 3! Here's the official synopsis:**

**"Everyone says it gets better. The voices stop shouting, the memories stop hurting, the nightmares stop happening. One day. That day hasn't come for me yet. I'm still that little girl, that little Rat, wrapped up in the queen's web." **

**Mare and Oliverara are held captive by Maven while Evangeline races against her own death to find Cameron Cole. **

**Stay safe everyone and stay well. -RR**


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